Christmas weepies

 Christmas weepies aka Christmas blues. If you've ever lost someone special or miss the way things used to be, you're bound to get the Christmas Blues. While I can't bring anyone back or do time travel, I can offer a little help on fighting the blues. Don't concentrate on what you don't have. Concentrate on what is yours. What brings a smile to your face. What warms your heart? Will you laugh at anything this time of year? I miss my mom with all of my heart. Every time she passed a salvation army kettle, she always found something to give. I catch myself doing the same thing. It's not so funny if you give your lunch money away, but it happens. I gave each one of my grandsons 24 books. One for each day in December before Christmas.  I've watched them learn to unwrap. Watched them learn that pretty paper doesn't taste as good as it looks, and I've watched their parents read to them.  I've seen the wonder in their little eyes as they take it all in. I have flash backs to seeing Beth read to Lauren under the covers with a flash light. I hear mom's  voice reading to Rowan and years before to me. I remember my great grandmother reading a story to me in English and rereading the same page in German. I have old memories and am in the process of making new ones. My mom can't hold her grandkids in a rocking chair anymore (they wouldn't fit) but I know she's smiling watching me hold mine. I miss having my little babies and if truth be told, I accidentally called Parker by his dad's name.  I think he tried to kiss me. His open mouth came into contact with my face. There were slobbers and it might have been a really sweet gesture but he has six teeth.  So there's that, but it made me laugh. Laughter is the best medicine.  It even cures the blues.

A no-stress Christmas?

 Christmas can be a stressful time of year. Some many things to do. So many to buy for. So many treats to make/bake/take. It's supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year, but it won't be if you're stressed to the max. Slow it down. It's ok to say NO. It's ok to only buy what you can afford. I am so very happy that ALL FIVE of my kids and their significant persons got me a list by Thanksgiving-it made my shopping so, so much easier. They all have three things wrapped under the tree. Stockings are almost full. I bought each one of the youngest grandsons 24 books each-one to open each day of December and an advent calendar for the oldest. They love them and are having so much more fun than I thought they would. My Christmas cards were taken on vacation in Alaska-and it's one of my favorites of Dwight and I-I hope I ordered enough of them(so far 20  have been mailed out-working on the rest). The inside of my house is decorated and I've started on the outside and it's all been fun to do. Christmas just has to be Merry if you're happy.