Stole this from halfbakedbrownieguider; I encourage you to do the same! It really made me warm and fuzzy doing it.

1. Christmas Eve or Christmas morning?

Living at home (up to age 20) Christmas morning for a huge stocking, covered with a beach towel with tons of gifts, and one big present from Mom and Dad, and presents from my brother and sister. Then there was the “overseas package” which contained a myriad of gifts from my Nana, aunts and uncle in the UK. This always included candy that you could only get over there. I remember being the envy of my friends at Christmas because we just had the best Christmas going in town.

As a newly married person, share Christmas between lots of families (husband’s parents are divorced). Realize the stress the holidays can put on divorced families.

And finally as a mom, Christmas Eve, head over to the same friends house every year for some Christmas cheer, bring the kids home way too late, let them open one gift (always new Christmas pyjamas). After kids are in bed, watch a Christmassy movie on the couch. In the morning, watch kids open their gifts, then make a big pancake breakfast.
Ah, the circle of life.

2. Donner or Donder?

Donner

3. Turkey or ham?

Don’t mess with my turkey. Ham? WTF?

4. Gifts opened all at once, or one at a time?

Oooh, one at a time. Savour the moment.

5. Christmas tree: live or artificial?

Live.

6. Cards: boxed cards, family photo cards, or e-cards?

Before kids – handmade cards with personalized message in each one. Now, boxed, with our names scribbled in them and a picture of the girls.

7. Christmas lights: incandescent or LED?

Incandescent. But Boxing Day I’m planning on scooping up some LED’s at 50% off.

8. Re-gift or not?

Not.

9. Gift wrap or gift bags?

I always wrap in brown craft paper and let the kids decorate them. Or, sometime I get carried away do some decorating myself.

10. Best Christmas song?

Gawd. That’s asking you who your favourite child is. I do love Elvis Christmas songs, but if I had to pick two (sorry, can’t pick one) it’s Baby It’s Cold Outside (not the one by Dolly Parton and Rod Stewart) and White Christmas by Bing.

11. Best Christmas movie?

It's a Wonderful Life. But, I always have to watch National Lampoon’s Christmas. I laugh every time. Oh, and does Love Actually count as a Christmas movie?

12. Favourite family tradition?

When I was a kid for while we would go downhill skiing on Christmas Eve and come home and eat tortière. I also have really fond memories of going to church with my mom on Christmas Eve and listening to carols. The only consistent tradition we have right now is the new Christmas pyjamas on Christmas Eve. Gracie just loves this.

This will likely be my last post before Christmas. I wish you all a very Merry Christmas. Peace.

(a beautiful version of "Baby It's Cold Outside")

Two things today:

1) I can’t seem to choke back fruit these days. I am a healthy eater, love to brag that I get all the food groups everyday, but lately, fruit is really unappealing to me. I’ve tried EVERYTHING . Even paying a premium on what I normally consider “fun” fruit (blackberries, raspberries, blueberries). Sigh. Not sure what’s wrong with me.

2) I am expired. I went to work today and my swipe wouldn’t work. I waited for someone to come along so I could bum off of their swipe, but no one came. As a last resort, I appealed to the Commissionares (yes, that is plural. I swear we have a commissionaire per employee here). After much bumbling and arguing, they realized my pass expired yesterday (and pretty much yelled at me for not noticing sooner). They then grudgingly gave me a temporary pass, but had to ask for identification to hold as collateral (in case I raided the nation’s archival holdings? If I did that my punishment would to not get my I.D. back?) Anyhooo, I gave them my driver’s license, which also expired yesterday. Well, you can imagine the field day they had with that. (“Are you always this disorganized” one of them sneered). The hilarious thing is that they took the license as collateral, as useless as it is. I don’t get it!

Why do they make everything expire on your birthday? It should be a fun day, not a I have to run around day.

*warning - this post is filled with generalizations*

i freaking hate gatineau. parts of my job bring me out there and everytime i do go it's horrible. i'll pop into the grocery store and get horrible customer service. i'll let someone in at the busy parking lot and three other cars butt in as well (without a thank you). the produce sucks at the grocery store, you can't return items at the winners there that you bought in ontario, and it seems like an awful lot of pregnant women smoke there. oh, and have mentioned the glass slippers? not once, but TWICE i have been at the grocery store there and seen women wearing these glass slippers that are favoured by those who remove their clothes for a living. seriously. to the grocery store. not to mention there is snow and ice on the ground. a snowy day in gatineau does not call for stripper shoes.

one redeming factor about gatineau? a 24 of india pale ale for $27. now that's alright.

Apologies for yesterday’s pity party. I went to bed early, woke up early, did a little workout, and am now feeling fine. I even fielded a call from Grace, having to assure her that she does not have a peanut allergy. The kids wants something to be “wrong” with her soooo badly. All of her friends seem to have something “wrong” with them – broken arm, allergy of some kind, three heads. Grace wants something that makes her stand out as well. Being beautiful, freakishly athletic and smart is not cutting the mustard with her. She wants more.

This made me think of THE BIG LIE I told when I was around her age. My brother had just been fitted with a retainer – it made his speech change, it affected how he smiled and his mouth was shiny. People asked about it, Mom and Dad were constantly on him to wear it and he was pretty much getting the kind of attention that I wanted. So, I did what any logical 7year old would do. I fashioned a retainer out of two paper clips and claimed orthodontia to anyone who would listen. I wore it to Brownies; my peeps called bullshit, yet I dug my feet in and insisted that it was a retainer. I wore it to school and my teachers called bullshit, yet I dug my feet in and insisted that it was a retainer. They then asked for note from home as proof, as they were concerned that my “retainer” might be a choking hazard or cause tetanus or something.
Well, seeing as my Dad was a dentist, I didn’t think I could convince him that it was a retainer, so I retired my case of orthodontia, claiming to be cured after two days of treatment.
14 years later I wasn’t so enthusiastic when I was fitted with the clunkiest braces you could possibly fashion at the ripe old age of 21. One observer accused Jonas of being a pedophile, that’s how young they made me look.

Ha ha, I really feel better now.

The one where she feels sorry for herself because:

-I just realized that I am going to be making lunches for others for a very long time
-No matter what I make a dinner there are going to be complaints
-One child in particular is sucking the life out of me
-The guilt I feel for "not being nice" is overwhelming
-The thought of waking up pre-dawn is depressing me

I'm not having a good day.

GAAAACKKKK!

Friday – Gracie’s Christmas talent show, all grandparents invited back to our house for dinner

Saturday – Edie ballet in the morning; go to Not Your Grandma’s Craft Sale (I promised myself); Manotick Santa Clause parade in the afternoon (you promithed! You prom-om-om-omithed!); Gracie’s first ever sleep over hosted at our house (rent appropriate movie).

Sunday: Make a fun breakfast for the sleepover girls; host nine lovely ladies for a Christmas cookie exchange party; bake 9 dozen cookie for said exchange; clean house for said exchange; clear children and husband from house for said exchange, ensure they are gone for at least 5 hours so nine ladies can enjoy spiked eggnog and no little voices/feet for a few hours.

Of course, laundry, groceries, cooking meals will all have to take place concurrently. And I’m working out regularly now and don’t want to miss a session. And I’ve promised myself 8 hours sleep each night. And my cleaning lady has been m.i.a. for about 4 weeks now.

Oh, and I have yet to get the girls photo printed for our Xmas cards, I have yet to write out our Xmas cards, and I have not dedicated even one brain cell to thinking about what to buy people for Xmas. I did buy the girls some stuff on Kijiji over the course of the year, so at least that is done.

And next week? I don’t want to write about for fear of putting myself into an early grave.

What’s you’re holiday madness?

*sniff* so romantic. This clip gets me every time. Just look at the way he looks at her when he passes her the cigarette. I am mush. I wonder if i could convince Jo to take up smoking.....
I think I'm going to take up smoking and watching old movies.