Would you like to see my calendar? Don't get me wrong, this is my favorite time of the year, I LOVE Christmas! But it seems that every Christmas season is busier than the last! Work-wise it's always busy. I decorate, I shop, I trim trees, buy gifts, wrap presents, update Master Contact Lists, help create and then order Christmas cards, and then stuff/address/stamp/seal/mail them, preside over or help clients with their Christmas events, planning the silver and serving dishes, co-ordinating or calling or scheduling caterers, florists, bartenders, valet parkers etc., sometimes attending the events to oversee stuff. I often have to adjust/extend my schedule to accommodate the extra work....I haven't gotten home before 7 any evening this week, when normally I'm done around 4.30-5. Sometimes I have to switch client days or time slots to provide help when needed and scheduling is always a pain. Can't just DO it without consulting clients first, so it's calls and texts back and forth to line everything up. Along with all my usual stuff. That's just work. On the personal side it's busy too, and again, busier by the year it seems. I have two birthday parties to attend and one (son #3) to hold..family stuff, but I have to cook the birthday boy's favorite meal (one of our birthday traditions) and buy a couple gifts and tidy up and such. I have a hair appointment (it just happened to fall during this time..my regular 6 week cut) and am babysitting three different times...Paige and William have William's annual Christmas party to attend, a neighborhood Ugly Sweater Party, and something else but I can't remember what. I'm attending my granddaughter's ballet recital, and my grandson's piano recital. Ron and his family have their Christmas get together which they do usually the w/e before Christmas. One set of my grandkids (the three who lost their Mom last year) have always had a Christmas get together with me and the rest of my kids as an extra Christmas thing for them and that's scheduled for the same w/e as Ron's family's thing, just a different day. My dance studio has its annual Christmas Party too, and there's another Christmas party I am also invited to, but I haven't figured out how to make it to that one yet. All that's on top of shopping and wrapping and baking for my own family for Christmas...thank God for Amazon and online shopping is all I can say!! And on top of everything else, Ron and I are trying to find some little window of time for us to have our own private Christmas celebration and gift exchange!!!!! I've seen him less than usual since Thanksgiving because of all this craziness. Thank God he's so understanding...I've been warning him for 6 months that once we get to Thanksgiving my life won't be my own till After Jan 1! Now he sees what I'm talking about! It seems that the older I get the more there is to do, especially as I'm so close with all my kids and grandkids, and as the littles get older they get more and more involved in extracurricular activities and want me to be share in their triumphs, events, recitals etc. And then getting engaged has added a whole other family and their stuff to my already busy schedule! Every year I think ok, the craziness is behind me, I can simplify my life and slow down. And every year that doesn't happen!!! I love my life, don't get me wrong, but I sure do wish it was a little less busy!
Ronni I'm exhausted after reading what you do at this time of year. My schedule isn't nearly as busy as yours, thank goodness, or they'd have to take me away on one of these.
Ronni, we told our kids that this year we will not be home for Christmas. We have a reservation at a BnB in south Texas, leaving here the 23rd and will be home the 26th. After last year and most of this year we just have to have some alone time away from the ordinary.
@Ronni all I can say is thank god it's just me and the old man...my head would be spinning with all that, how you cope god knows toni have a lovely time
Like others I am exhausted just reading 1/3rd of what is on your plate Ronni! You must have a near endless supply of energy! I enjoy the holidays but do find myself struggling to get it all done, & juggling invites, plans, etc. Your holidays sound full to overflowing Ronni, but with a great heaping of love for your family.
Ronni, I'm tired from just imagining your hectic schedule. And I thought I have a lot to do? At some point, take a much needed break, put your feet up, sip a glass of wine, assuming you imbibe! Merry Christmas!
Ron and I worked our way through a bottle of wine last weekend, thank you very much! I had my dance studio's Christmas dance party to attend Friday night, babysitting Saturday morning, my son Cameron wanted us to go Christmas Shopping together (I think I posted here about that?) so we did that Saturday afternoon, and then my granddaughter Lucy had her ballet recital Saturday night. I fell into bed at Ron's Saturday night and slept solidly for 8 hours! Sunday was much more relaxed. We went out and did some Christmas shopping, did a bit of spackling and sanding of a few spots in the den that needed work, and spent a lot of lazy time on the couch nibbling on crackers and cheese and fruit and sipping wine. That was the best part of the weekend! A few of us who wore crazy Xmas stuff at dance. See my elf shoes??? And here's my sweet Lulubelle being a pretty ballerina!!
Love the outfits but how can you dance in those elf shoes without landing on your butt? You have a beautiful granddaughter - another treasured photograph for the family album.
@Ronni although it's mad your end being busy...your family always looks so happy and enjoying the activities Watch Ron doesn't tread on your toes and such a beautiful picture of Lulubelle
