Christmas: Good Bye and Good Riddance

This is the day of our dear Saviour’s birth. I’m not sure I can blindly accept that as fact anymore, but that’s a discussion for another day. 

We were up at 7:00 this morning. I took Percy for a walk while Colleen made breakfast. After breakfast, we opened our few pretty boxes. The girls had put them beneath the little fake tree we have in the living room. There really wasn’t much to speak of, but Ivy seemed happy with her gifts. I got off easily. I’m proud to tell you I didn’t wrap a single thing this year. Colleen went to work at noon today for twelve hours. I’ll go to work at 5:00. Ivy plans to see a movie later with Nana and Papa. 

We Colleen managed to spend over $2000 on Christmas. Much went to kids and grandkids. Much went on the Visa card. Despite the best laid plans, we haven’t gotten Ivy’s new bedroom furniture yet. That’ll be another $2000. We’ll spend the better part of $5000 without improving the world one iota. Most of the world’s children will still go to bed hungry.

 

Christmas is not something I enjoy much anymore. Meagan is needy. I hurt for her, but I don’t know how to help her. Dan is ok. He's happily married and playing daddy to Ashley's two young kids. Both Dan and his sister are far away, and they’re not speaking to each other.

 

I still have to endure the awkwardness of a McPhail family gathering. They pretend they're a close family, but Colleen has no relationship whatsoever with her brother and sister. It's bizarre. And awkward. Wine is a big help. I don’t know when that’ll happen, exactly. But I’m sure it’s soon.

 

A dear Windsor church friend passed away on Monday night. She died in her sleep. The family has asked me to speak at her funeral which of course is the same day my sister has planned a Pringle get-together.

 

And Percy has a black spot on his hip. It could be cancer. He’s scheduled for a biopsy on Tuesday.  

 

Merry Christmas.