One Beautiful Life

Random Christmas Eve Thoughts...

Our wonderful day started off with my precious husband NOT getting a call at 4 a.m. to come to work today! They already dropped Christmas Day and now he's been home all day today as a bonus!(Thank you Santa)

We shared an annual Christmas Eve breakfast with fellow neighbors at the new local I-Hop. Each year, a large group from the neighborhood meets to have breakfast together. This year it meant more to me than any other.

Next, I was off to conquer Kroger and buy the essentials for our Christmas breakfast and dinner. (I forgot all about the ingredients for zucchini soup for tonight's little feast!) I made two observations while wandering the very crowded store, people were either in a wonderful and cheerful mood... or they were NOT. It was funny. No in-between people... just happy and NOT.

As I stood in front of the case of turkeys, it hit me, this monster was never going to thaw by tomorrow. What now? One of my friends' mothers walked by and she told me I could take it out of the wrapper, put it naked in the sink all day while changing the water and trying to pull the sack of innards out... No thank you! Being borderline vegetarian as it is... I could not stomach that! I glanced over at the ducks and winced... I considered game hens and thought not, I looked at the huge slab of ham and thought not again. So there I stood... having an animal moment in the middle of the meat department at Kroger. Tofu for Christmas dinner? Nah.... I walked in circles a few times, seriously laboring over what to do... then huffed a sigh of defeat and tried to find the smallest ham possible. I apologized to it. Found the one that was naturally fed, no msg's and minimally processed and literally tossed it in the bottom of the cart. This meat thing is getting on my nerves... can't I just eat it without thought like millions of other people in the world!? That answer is "No".

So I found a line that was actually short and went to pay for my food items and Jolly St. No Personality got in line behind me. I had three transactions to do. One for a woman in my bible study I was buying some items for (out of my business money), one for a family our small group is buying stuff for (out of that money), and myself. He was very annoyed with my little divider doo hickies. I explained to the clerk what I was doing and I thought his eyes were going to roll out of his head. Then I asked the clerk for a gift certificate I needed to buy... more eyeball aerobics from Jolly St. No Personality and THEN... the register would not scan the gift certificate! It was great. I thought he was going silently combust! So I glanced back at him and said, "I'm sorry", and do you know what he did!? He just looked at me... like I was a lump of annoyance... and so I smiled and said, "Actually, no, no I am not... I am not sorry." His face broke and I think he may have had a tiny moment of introspective thought about his behavior. I thanked the clerk by name and the bagger, took my items, and walked out with a smile. Hopefully Jolly St. No Personality will be visited by three ghosts tonight and wake tomorrow with a better outlook!

So we are home now, making more candy, listening to Christmas music, and getting ready to drop by some one's house to deliver Christmas cheer and meet friends at the Christmas Eve service. I LOVE to sing Christmas Carols with hundreds of people who also love the Lord... it is very moving and I know it makes Him smile!

When we return home, after stopping to get soup makings, Abby will open her gifts. I made her the cutest baby bunny yesterday! I am thrilled with it. It is my favorite thing I have ever made. I am so excited about her opening it... I hope she loves it too!

After a few gifts, we'll snuggle in for the viewing of "Polar Express", cocoa, and yummy goodies! Tomorrow morning, Santa will have stopped by, filled stockings and HOPEFULLY will have brought Abby the present she has asked him for... earrings! We'll see..... Happy Christmas Eve Dear Friends... Love to you all.