The countdown has begun. Once we hit November, the holiday season seems to be “on.” I don’t decorate before Canadian Remembrance Day (11 November) – but I aim to have the artificial tree assembled in all its sparkly glory in the basement + the evergreen swag on the living room mantle before L’s birthday. I can’t quite wrap my head around thoughts of decorating and all the chaos (and fun) that will be coming our way soon. Mostly, I’m distracted by the weather! There were flurries this week. FLURRIES, I SAY. I’m not ready for winter, but the only way through is through…and celebrating Happy Things can help pass the time more pleasantly.
You know I like to keep things “real” and there were some really hard moments this week. An ongoing interpersonal challenge continues to impact daily life and there are times I’m simply not able to cope calmly with the overwhelm. But this season of struggle continues to teach me a lot about how to prioritize my mental health. Do I want this issue resolved? Absolutely. But I also recognize I’ve gained some valuable skills, friendships, and support networks that will serve me well in the long term.
This week I stepped back: I canceled commitments, said No to new requests, wore comfortable clothes, drank extra water, made homemade banana bread and sat down under a cozy blanket to read while it cooked, skipped morning walks to school and used that extra time for self-care (which, for me, looked like taking time to savour my coffee while picking up things around the house and just…puttering…before I sat down to start my workday) and looked for little ways to inject joy and levity into my days. And it helped. As always, a huge Happy Thing is the love and support I receive from you – blog readers turned friends. To everyone who commented and texted and emailed me this week, thank you so much for your encouragement.
Now let’s discuss Happy Things!
FANCY COOKIES + SPECIAL LOVE
A senior couple from our former church routinely visit the kids ahead of special occasions to shower them with treats. Halloween is one such occasion and they dropped by our house last week with a plate of fancy pumpkin cookies (so good!), and little goody bags filled with chocolate and chips. (Yes, Canadians give out a lot of mini-sized bags of chips at Halloween; I did not know this was unique to Canada until my Top Five/Bottom Five post).
While the cookies and treats were enjoyed by all, it was the thought behind it that meant the most. I’ve said it before – and I’ll say it again – one of the nicest experiences as a parent is watching OTHER people love your kids. And sometimes that takes the form of pumpkin cookies with gold star sprinkles. #MeantToBe.
YOUTH CONFERENCES
A got to attend a super fun youth conference with a whole bunch of her friends. It involved one evening and overnight packed with activities + an afternoon of community outreach – collecting donations for the foodbank, raking leaves, etc. She came home exhausted and a bit overwhelmed, but also loved it!
John and I were able to help serve FOUR HUNDRED people one of the meals. It was a whirlwind but also…very fun. We came home with some jumbo baggies of leftover raw veggies which were perfect for lunchboxes (sliced cucumbers) and soups (sliced carrots).
HALLOWEEN
This year A was invited to trick-or-treat with a group of girls from her church youth group; for the first time in almost a decade we opted to not stay in our own neighbourhood, so we dropped A off with her friends and John and I took L around the same area. It was EPIC. Incredible decorations – intricate pumpkin carvings, adult costumes, giant inflatables, hot chocolate for parents WITH BAILEYS, a firepit for warming yourself. This particular neighbourhood was not messing around. Nicole would have approved.
L was mistaken for Charlie Chaplin three times; I can see why! Both kids loved their costumes, though L got cold – fast – and was ready to wrap up the festivities long before A so the three of us went back to the car and he looked at his loot for 45 minutes.
There were lots of mini bags of chips, I got some Reese’s, and a few monsters handed out Tootsie Rolls (which apparently MY OWN SON LIKES – where did I go wrong?) and Kerr’s Molasses Chews (from people who clearly hate people and Halloween).
PHOTO GIFTS ARE DONE
I whine and complain about this every year and when I finally stop griping, I sit down and – voila – it’s not so horrible after all. There was a one-day-only 40% sale, so that lit a fire under my buttocks and now the process is done for another year. Photocards + three unique calendar designs. Go me. I was a bit less finicky this time – good enough is good enough. The relief is immense!
CLOSET ORGANIZATION
I haven’t met a closet I didn’t enjoy organizing. I’ve written several times over the last year about my love for our PAX wardrobe. When we rebuilt our old (rotten, leaking) entryway, my favourite feature was adding this IKEA wardrobe. After living with it for a year, a few things irked me – mostly, an inefficient use of space.
This weekend, after grumbling about the issues for a year, I finally did something about the problem. Namely, I added in the two extra shelves we had sitting in storage (PAX shelves were part of an IKEA shortage last year so we couldn’t get white ones and the glass options were $50/each!!; imagine our delight when grey ones came back in stock at a clearance price of $5 each; we bought 4 but had only installed 2).
CHRISTMAS WRAPPING
I’ll admit, wrapping gifts can start to feel like a drag. But this year I have a new system (of course I do). First, I have decided to PAY my 12-year-old to wrap some gifts. She is far more inclined to work for money, and this is not a standard household chore that I should expect her to do as part of contributing to the family. Plus, it gives her more spending money (to, you know, buy me Reese’s and Twizzlers for Christmas).
I have also decided to make life easier: stocking stuffers (and yes, they get wrapped in our house) will be in either: craft paper, a brown paper bag, or leftover tissue paper. This is a perfect use for all the crumpled tissue paper I save after receiving it in gift bags. It’s so easy to wrap items in tissue paper and I’m loving this new structure – now I know if something is in “fancy” paper, it belongs under the tree!
DOGGY DIAPERS
On a walk to school last week one of my kids stepped in dog pooh. Ugh. But, a friend walking with us didn’t miss and beat and said: They really need to start making diapers for dogs. This led to a hilarious 10-minute conversation about potential features of said doggy diapers (we decided instead of Huggies brand it would be called Puggies; instead of Pampers, Woofers). Likely a case of “you had to be there” but the whole experience was a lot of fun.
CHURCH NURSERY
I’m not always a huge fan of volunteering for children’s events. I already have two kids of my own, I’m not really comfortable in crowded situations, dislike having multiple people talking in my immediate physical space, and I loathe overstimulation. So I decided I’m willing to help with kids, they just mostly need to be non-verbal. I volunteered for nursery duty on Sunday morning and it was so. much. fun. Adorable toddlers and NONE OF THE WORK that comes with having one of your own. Sign me up.
BONUS ROUND
- Sunshiney days after rain.
- The crunch of leaves on a walk.
- Naps.
- Watching the F1 race with John and L on Sunday afternoon. I guess I am now a fan of racecar driving?! I know what team principals do, and what box and pole position mean and the difference between standing and rolling starts. Want to know the difference between red and yellow flags? I can tell you! Who have I become? (We finished the final season of Drive to Survive and I am legitimately heartbroken.)
- A giant pot of soup; delicious, cozy, and great leftovers.
- A prompt on the Morning Pages App: “Write what you can’t say.” This rings so true for me. Sometimes it’s much easier to convey something in a written word…
- I had my annual bag of Ketchup chips, courtesy of A’s loot bag.
- I’m getting my hair done today! I am a minimalist with hair treatments; we all use the same 2-in-1 shampoo, I don’t use gels or mousses or colour my hair and I generally only get it cut a few times a year. But later today I’m getting a keratin relaxer and a cut and I am so excited. My hair is frizzy and wavy and I mostly hate it and every time I get my hair chopped off I say I’ll never do it again because I miss being able to pull it up into a bun, but we’ll see…supposedly I can WASH AND WEAR after this keratin treatment. I’m really excited.
- I may have listened to some of the Michael Buble Christmas album this week.
- Leftovers.
- My planner goodies giveaway will go live on Sunday!!
- Halloween treats for special surprises in kid lunchboxes.
- Morning snuggles with John. Bedtime snuggles with the kids. Falling asleep snuggles with John.
- King-sized beds. I love my husband and I love my space and I love that the kids can come in the morning and we CAN ALL FIT. I have not once regretted having a king-sized bed.
- Deep cleaning the drawers in L’s desk. There were a lot of school projects to purge!
Happy weekending. I hope the days ahead are full of many Happy Things.
Your turn. What are some Happy Things in your life right now? Did you participate in Halloween this year? Is your hair routine easy or intensive? Have you listened to Christmas music yet? How early is too early…? Do you wrap stocking gifts?
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sarah
This is a great list. Such adorable Halloween kids.
“I havenโt met a closet I didnโt enjoy organizing.” I wish you could come stay with me and organize closet– mine are all disgraceful.
Jelly that you have already started wrapping!!
Elisabeth
I WANT TO COME ORGANIZE YOUR CLOSETS. Though, even though I love organizing mine, they seem to constantly need organizing (how do things return to a state of disorder so quickly?!).
Suzanne
That closet is a thing of beauty! I am sitting here admiring it for so long. Love the kidsโ costumes and I am so glad that Halloween was a good experience for you all. Maybe next year you should come to our neighborhood – not a single Tootsie Roll to be found! ๐ (No ketchup chips either though.)
Elisabeth
Seriously – looking at someone’s organized space is my idea of a GOOD TIME.
The kids received exactly one bag of ketchup chips and I ate it – and that will hold me over for 365 days ๐
Nicole MacPherson
Crikey, you just reminded me I need to get on my photo calendars *lies down on the floor and sobs*
Hot chocolate and Bailey’s! I do approve! What a fun night and I’m so glad the kids got to go elsewhere to have their fun.
Lol, I love that you’re a minimalist with your hair care, because I am a maximalist. We balance each other out! I have so many hair products, and thanks to the Sephora sale, I have more on the way!
I will grant you that Lay’s ketchup chips are good but I am still Team Old Dutch!
Elisabeth
I get the sobbing. Is it any consolation that is does always feel like THE END OF THE WORLD and then when I start it goes faster than I expected? Hoping the same for you ๐
I’m a minimalist with clothes, makeup, and hair. With many things, actually. I’m just high maintenance emotionally ๐
The kids only got one bag of ketchup chips – and it was Lays – and that will tide me over for another year!
ccr in MA
I am going to keep telling myself that “good enough is good enough” until it really sinks in! Your calendar completion is inspiring me to finish up my holiday card order. Get it done, move on!
Elisabeth
Yes. Get it done, move on. Easier said than done sometimes, but this week “good enough” felt like an impressive effort!
Ally Bean
What are some Happy Things in your life right now? A new electric coffee maker that brews HOT coffee, its predecessor was a wimp
Did you participate in Halloween this year? Yes, but only 90 kids at the door, an all-time low count
Is your hair routine easy or intensive? Since I grew my hair long and wear it in a ponytail now, it is easy
Have you listened to Christmas music yet? How early is too earlyโฆ? I wait until December to listen to Christmas music on purpose
Do you wrap stocking gifts? No
Elisabeth
Boo to wimpy coffee makers.
Growing up we weren’t allowed to listen to Christmas music until the middle of December. My parents were basically monsters.
NGS
We do not do anything Christmas-related until after American Thanksgiving (the fourth Thursday in November). The only thing I *might* do is order our yearly ornament if I think the personalization/time crunch might be too great. No tree, no music, no anything before Thanksgiving. I don’t know what our cutoff would be if we didn’t live in the States.
I recently was unable to wash my hair because I had a hand injury and my husband had to help me wash it. He was a bit dumbfounded at what I thought was a simple process (wash, rinse, wash again, rinse, condition, wait for 3-5 minutes, rinse) because I guess he just uses an all-in-one and it’s just wash and rinse. *shrug* Once I get out of the shower, I use a heat protectant product and one other product on my hair. I think this is easy, but now that my husband has had some input, I think maybe it’s moderately complicated?
Elisabeth
Fair enough. Thanksgiving is so far removed from Christmas here in Canada, but I do like to wait until after Nov 11th.
I’m too cheap and lazy to do much with my hair. I truly hate that I have hair that requires any doing. Obviously, I’m glad I HAVE HAIR because it offers me some small protection from the cold, but I absolutely abhor dealing with it. We’ll see how this treatment works? I am definitely team Wash and Rinse and that’s it. I’d rather just stand under the hot water longer. Basically my entire world revolves around trying to stay warm from now until next May.
Jenny
Hee hee! It’s officially okay to start listening to Christmas music now. Go for it.
But wait just a minute- you’ve already started WRAPPING GIFTS??? I’m not sure how I feel about this, because it’s making me a little anxious- I haven’t done any shopping yet. Huge gold star for finishing the photo calendars though!
I like seeing the Canadian Halloween loot. Some people do give out chips here, but it’s definitely not common. Great idea though- the kids don’t need any MORE candy than the hundreds of pieces they’re already getting. I was looking through it trying to figure out what Abby can eat- Kit Kats? They’re not gooey at all. And then I saw… “Coffee Crisps?” Is there real coffee in those? And people give it to kids? Interesting…
You can come to my house and organize my closets any time.
P.S. Going to email you today…
Elisabeth
I tend to accumulate gifts throughout the year (thrifted/Amazon etc), so I’ve wrapped those. Also, I’m trying to buy fewer things this year so hopefully that means I have fewer things to wrap!
I don’t know if there is caffeine in Coffee Crisp but they taste like coffee and, ironically, they are one of A’s favourite chocolate bars!
I would LOVE to come organize your closets. Like LOVE it.
Tobia | craftaliciousme
I keep all the tissue paper myself because it is such nice material. And it is also light weight which helps if you post gifts as it doesn’t add to postage fees.
Happiest thing this past week was definitely that I didn’t get infected with Covid. The husband was positiv all week and I had decided there is no point in trying to stay out of each other way after we had spend the nights in the same bed. And I didn’t get it. Gold star to my body.
I also happened to meet a friend for coffee after two business meetings which was nice.
Elisabeth
Gold stars to your body indeed! I’m so glad you didn’t get COVID. One in the household is more than enough ๐
Beckett @ Birchwood Pie
The entryway of our house really needs some work. As soon as I get in the right mood I’m planning to spend some serious time on Ikea’s website to get something better than what we have. I’m a big fan of adding shelves high and low.
WHY ISN’T PASSING OUT CHIPS ON HALLOWEEN A THING IN THE US??????????????????????????????????? It’s brilliant. Also that pumpkin cookie looks epic and I might just have to make myself something like that.
Sending love and warm fuzzies for the “real” stuff <3
Elisabeth
The pumpkin cookie was so good (I’m too lazy to ever ice cookies or add fancy sprinkles, but it makes me happy when someone else has the patience and creativity!)
Bring on the shelves (and baskets) I say.
Sarah
Sorry to hear about your hard times this week – life is really a roller coaster, isn’t it? We live on a rural street so we always take the kids to some high-density areas to trick or treat so they can hit up a ton of houses. Ah, too early for Christmas! I’m kind of a Scrooge about Christmas, I’m not a big fan. There is just SO MUCH to do and a high level of busyness and expectation. I don’t decorate until after Thanksgiving or even the first week of December.
Kyria @ Travel Spot
Get it done and move on! I will keep that in mind as I work on my holiday card. I have done step one which really is the worst one, so the other steps should flow pretty well. It is funny how some years I do try to make it perfect and other years, I follow your mantra re good enough being good enough. Isn’t perfection the enemy of done?
Re Christmas I don’t think anything is too early. Sometimes you just need a little Bing Crosby in your life, no matter what time of year it is. I always listen to the Messiah when I wrap presents so I have not started yet, since it is a bit of a ritual. However, I do have gifts already but currently they are in a tote in my closet, unwrapped. We do wrap some stocking gifts, but often Santa will throw a chapstick or a mandarin in everyone’s stocking and won’t wrap that.
Elisabeth
Ah, Bing Crosby. I think you know how I feel about White Christmas…
Would you believe other than the famous chorus, I’ve never listened to the Messiah.
We wrap…everything. It was tradition growing up and I’ve kept it going. That was likely a mistake because now my kids expect it. My parents had VERY little money (especially when my siblings were younger) so I think wrapping every little thing made Christmas seem more special with a lot fewer “big” gifts?
San
I am sorry things continue to be hard, friend, but I am glad you practiced some extra self-care this week and knew when to say ‘no’ to things in order to take care of yourself. That in itself is huge!
Chips for Halloween? I’d dress up and go trick-or-treating instantly. Haha.
I love, love, love A’s and L’s costumes – they look awesome, and how fun to go trick-or-treating in a different neighborhood.
Hooray for getting the photo projects done (I know this must feel so good to check this off your list) and for getting a headstart on the holiday season. I am mentally SO NOT THERE yet.
I am super-intrigued about your keratin hair treatment. Is it expensive? And please report back if it’s working for you. I have wavy/frizzy hair too and would love to get out of bed without a “rat’s nest” on my head LOL
Elisabeth
Ha! Well, come visit NS in October and you too can have a sack full of (sadly, mostly regular/plain) chips!
So the whole 3-hour appointment was about $200…so NOT cheap (I pay about $40 for a wash/cut/wash at the same place). But it requires washing x2, blow drying x2, and straightening x2 + the actual treatment which has to sit in for a while. It should last about 8 months. I do so little for my hair, I felt I could justify the expense (I don’t ever colour it and use like $2 shampoo). I’m shocked your hair is wavy. It always looks so straight and smooth!!
mbmom11
My hair routine is easy – wash in the shower and brush. A haircut once a year maybe? I have straight, fine hair that takes too much effort to do anything interesting. However, it’s nice and soft and shiny, and I can pull it back or ponytail. It works for my hectic life. (I lost my hair from a medical treatment one year, so I look more kindly on my boring hair now.)
We dud our schools trunk Or treat for Halloween- miserably cold and damp but the kids had fun. On Tues I did not take my kids trick or treating – it was a heck of a day and really really cold. My two youngest loved handing out the candy, and my teen went with friends and brought loot vack to share- several full sized candy bars much to his delight.
Hang in there- it’s hard when things drag on, esp when you can only do so much. Rely on your support system and take those easy days! You deserve them.
Elisabeth
I want straight, smooth hair SO BADLY. Hence paying to try to get a loose approximation (this won’t make my hair straight but should cut down on the frizz – hopefully?).
Full-sized candy bars are my kids favourite – Halloween jackpot ๐
Anne
(NB: you may not want to approve this, as I reference the other stuff that happened, and you are rightly focusing on the good. Just delete it if you want to.)
I… must have missed the explanation of the costumes? (I skipped a few entries to get right to NaBloPoMo, so also missed your other post about the stuff… so sorry for my lack of communication and general absence from life right now…) I honest to Pete thought L WAS Charlie Chaplin! Ha. I’ll have to dig back to see what it actually was. ๐
I am hoping to clean OUT my closet. I finally have the pants and the tops that I really want, year round, and want to ditch those that Do Not Work for Life Right Now. I’ve been holding on to some clothes for over 3 years (yes, COVID-related) and just need them OUT of there. Your closet is GOALS. All caps, not just a capital G.
Oooh, please do share a hair update if you are willing. Friends who get those treatments looooove them. Hope it’s all you hope for.
Elisabeth
Ha – love all caps. I love me an organized closet ๐
L is Watson and A is Sherlock!
Michelle G.
I enjoyed your post, Elisabeth! I’ve never had ketchup chips, like most of your US blog readers have said. Good things in my life? Yes! We were having problems with our plumbing and hot water, and they got fixed! Yay!!!! I couldn’t ask for anything more!
Elisabeth
Hot water is very nice to have! Glad it’s fixed.
Ketchup chips are likely something I wouldn’t be too keen on if they weren’t a nostalgic flavour…but I love having them once a year. I also LOVE All Dressed which I think is also a flavour not available in the US?
I’m not a fan but Coffee Crisp is a fav chocolate bar in my family and that is also very hard to come by in the US I think?
coco
you did great to rest and take your week slow to cozy up. My body tends to get so tired when I’m stressed out even without physical activities, mental stress takes a toll to the boy so it’s great that you are letting it rest and do what makes you feel comfort.
soooo many sweets!!!! I got one bag for the girls and I can see It will take us forever to finish them. once I am into dark chocolate, milk chocolate tastes not so good anymore.
Lisaโs Yarns
Iโm still stumped by the chips for Halloween treats. I feel like they would get so crushed! But it is fun to identify something that is unique to your region! Like who started that trend?
I was off with Paul yesterday so while he watched a show, I worked on my Christmas cards and addresses list and I got through July for our 2023 photo book. I am mailing it in a bit on the photo book and calling it good enough. But that is necessary sometimes. Now I need to do the calendar which is the easier project since I have favorite albums for each month in google photos so I just have to choose from those and position them. But itโs still work of course!
We participated in Halloween and had as much fun as the cold snowy weather would allow! Phil went out for Paul for about an hour after I came in with both boys and now heโs feeling worse again and fears he is developing pneumonia. So I am regretting letting him go out with Paul. I should have since Phil is in such a fragile state from the flu virus.
Elisabeth
There is lots of air in the bags and so things don’t really get crushed or broken! It has been this way…forever. I mean, I got tons of bags of chips when I was a kid, so it has been decades at least.
I haven’t touched my photobook yet. That’s the next big project.
And ugh about Phil. I am just so sorry you keep getting snowed up (literally and metaphorically). It is NOT fair how many bugs your family has had to deal with the last few years.
Ernie
Sorry about the situation that is causing you such difficulty. That sounds challenging. I’ve skipped a hair cut to save money. My hair is so thin, long hair doesn’t work great for me, but I AM loving being able to wear it up. Hello, easy. I do not listen to Christmas music for a long time. Hooray for wrapping difficulties solved and for your organized closet. I don’t work on closets often enough – I have a hard enough time with the open spaces. Ugh. My happy moment this week was getting to visit Mini at Notre Dame yesterday. I also brought a meal to her friend’s mom – who is staying at ND right now while her daughter is recovering from the flesh eating bacteria. I had a lovely, relaxing, chill day with Mini and got to see some of her friends. I got just enough sleep, despite my current not-sleeping-much status, to be able to pull off a fun day.
Elisabeth
I am so glad that Kate (I think that’s it) is recovering and thank goodness Mini and her friends were on top of that situation! I’m sure the meal was so appreciated <3
Daria
So. Many. Great. Things!
Coffee and Baileys? **raises hand**Here for it! lol
So much to unpack or Christmas. I love it but I never celebrated it as a child (Soviet Russia, remember?) Instead, New year’s was HUGE! Right now, we have a minimalist approach to Christmas. Or, at least, I do. T has grown up in a way where he would mark all of the toys he wanted in a Sears catalogue and they would come on Christmas. yep- it was NOT like that for me.
For Christmas all I really want is for it to be as simple as possible. Us, some gifts, a Christmas tree, a movie. Christmas roast (T is a good cook). As for gifts: give an an airbnb gift card or a gift card to Nordstrom’s- I’m happy ๐
Elisabeth
New Year’s is not even the tiniest blip on my radar but I would LIKE to make it more of a big deal this year. Christmas always leaves me depressed in the aftermath because life goes from full and merry to MONTHS of dark and cold. So I would like to come up with some ways to make New Year’s more exciting and memorable. I’ll have to put that out as a blog “call” to get ideas!
Gift cards are amazing – agreed.
Kate
What wise perspective on the challenging situation (I’m so sorry that it’s been causing such mental anguish, but glad that you’ve been able to shift priorities and care for yourself — your mention of support and community is what really stood out to me as a wonderful way to reframe the “yuck”.
The kids’ costumes turned out great! I’m in the US and people definitely hand out chips in my area — and sometimes little juice boxes, popcorn balls, and fruit snacks. One house even had a separate container of applesauce pouches that they gave out to the toddler set, which was a great idea! I’m not a fan of ketchup chips but LOVE all dressed chips (I spent a year at Bible school in BC between high school and undergrad). This topic just jogged a memory for me of much confusion over Smarties when I first arrived — as you know, Canadian Smarties are similar to M’n’Ms, but American Smarties are tart fruit flavored tablets. I do miss Coffee Crisps!
Amazing that you’re already wrapping for Christmas. We don’t start decorating until the weekend after Thanksgiving — that was the tradition growing up and I’ve stuck to it! And YAY for the photo calendars being done & being able to snag a great deal to boot! The one thing I *have* accomplished for Christmas prep is buying Christmas PJs – motivated by a similar sale that popped up around Labor Day. Traditionally I buy the girls new Christmas pajamas and gift them on St. Nicholas Day, December 6. This will be the first and possibly only time our entire family has matching PJs and I just couldn’t resist ๐
Elisabeth
Popcorn balls are definitely not a thing here! I used to get juice as a kid, and each child got one can of pop this year, but it’s mostly chips and chocolate. Love the idea of toddler pouches. Brilliant.
And three cheers for matching PJs. So fun!
ccr in MA
A big yes to saying No! Lots of happy things when you look for them, right? Also, thank you for inspiring me to get my holiday cards done–it’s not fun, but it’s never as much work as I think it’s going to be. Now I need to put “address four cards” on my weekly to-do list, and it will be done by Christmas!
Stephany
I’m glad you got your ketchup chips! I have never had those, and I feel like I need to at least try them ONCE.
I am truly amazed that you already have WRAPPED GIFTS for Christmas. Way to be ahead of the game! I think I am going to order a few things today so I can get a head start on things, but we’ll see WHEN those get wrapped, haha.
I am already thinking about decorating for Christmas – maybe just a few little things here and there. I’m not putting up a tree this year (I’ll be gone from Dec 26 – Jan 2, and don’t trust the cats to not mess with the tree for that long, haha), so it’ll mostly be twinkle lights and fun signs around my home. I’m ready for it!
Elisabeth
Twinkle lights are ALWAYS in order ๐