Happy Christmas Eve

I've just finished cleaning the kitchen after the first dinner of the back to back Christmas events I'm hosting this year: Polish Wigilia with my parents, and tomorrow a more English/Canadian Christmas Dinner with Rod's parents, sister & husband & nephews, and my parents.

Yes, it's kind of crazy & hectic but it's all good.

I walked the dogs three times today and each and every time it was pouring buckets from the sky. But you know what? I actually like the rain and going for three good solid walks is good not just for the body, but for the mind.

I spot cleaned some carpet stains today. Bear has been ill. But he's under the care of a really good vet who saw me without an appointment, gave Bear antibiotics, and hopefully Bear will be feeling like himself soon. And carpet is just carpet. Plus Bear has, so far, not tried to help water the Christmas tree!

I went to pick up my turkey for tomorrow - a specially ordered organic, free range turkey from Ladybug Manor which is BCSPCA certified for humane treatment of animals - and when I arrived the fellow forced me to make decisions. I hate decisions!!!! Turns out that humanely raised turkeys don't always turn out the right size. Ha! The store had indicated when I ordered that they expected all the turkeys to be around 15lbs which was just right for me, but the turkeys that arrived were all around 8-10. So - did I want just one? Or two smaller ones? Or did I want to switch to a different brand of turkey? I stood there kind of stunned because I had a long list of things to do in 2hours and making decisions about turkey was not on my agenda, and I'm not so good at snap decisions. Whatever. I made a decision.

& even though it broke my stride a bit (& caused me about another 15 minutes of second guessing after about whether I made the right decision) & even though I won't even taste the darned thing since I'm vegetarian, we are fortunate to be able to have turkey in the first place, not to mention to be able to afford to buy the primo ethical one, to support our local, ethical farmer.

I even got to briefly see a friend in the store, picking up her turkey. (Hi V! I wish I'd been more coherent & had some time to chat!)

I zoomed off to run several more small errands, including buying some clothes for Hugo (no, your 'newer' track pants and a 'newer' t-shirt don't quite cut it). It's actually kind of convenient having a kid who is uninterested in clothes. I just take a tape measure into a store & buy several things which meet my aesthetic requirements & his comfort requirements (nothing itchy or bunchy or stiff)

And while I was running an almost impossible number of errands in 2h (turned out to have not been impossible because I did it in exactly 2h), I was standing in a store when someone's phone rang behind me, and I heard her end of the conversation, parts of which went like this:

"No, they're home. They're all home."

"Actually I'm at the store. I had to get some things for my mother. She's not so good. She found out yesterday the cancer has returned so she's been at the hospital and didn't get all her stuff done, so I'm finishing for her."

"Yes, the tumor. On her throat."

And yeah, that's when you take a deep breath and count your blessings. It's all good. We're here, we're safe, we're warm, we're fed.

May we all be so lucky.

I leave you with my second favourite holiday song.



(or, if you want to learn the lyrics, check out this)

Merry Christmas Eve.