Sunday, November 25, 2012

CHRISTMAS IS HOW MANY DAYS AWAY ?


PANIC !    How does this happen EVERY year ?  It's not like Christmas is a secret that you don't know about until the last minute but I am NEVER ready for the speed of its arrival once Thanksgiving is over. No wonder all those crazy people are out on BLACK FRIDAY shopping like there is no tomorrow.  But you will never find me out in that frenzy.  I think this year a lot of my shopping is taking place on the computer. It really is a no brainer when you think about it. Roll out of bed, sit down at the computer in your jammies, have the morning cup of coffee next to you, (possibly with a bagel or donut, as long as you don't get the crumbs stuck in the key board).  I can shop like this for hours and my feet never get tired. (My butt does go numb but it is a small price to pay.)  I do miss the years that Keri and I would do a MOTHER/DAUGHTER shopping trip to different outlets. A couple of years were spent shopping at Potomac Mills in Virginia. Then there was the year that Keri came to Florida and we shopped up in Orlando. Our shopping trips would always include an over night at a hotel and dinner with a drink or two. We would shop for HOURS, take a dinner break, and continue for another hour or two.  We would then return to the hotel and bring EVERYTHING we had bought up to our room. (That usually involved at least 2 of those luggage carriers.) There we would empty out all the bags and take inventory of all that we had purchased. After a lot of laughing we would fall into our beds exhausted with plans of returning to this or that store in the morning to just pick up those one or two things that we had missed or wanted more of. The very best part of these trips was spending a full 36 hours alone with my daughter who I came to love more and more every year. GOOD TIMES !
Now I am sitting at a computer shopping for my GRAND KIDS and having almost as much fun with emails, texts and phone calls flying back and forth trying to decide on the perfect gifts for the perfect kids. We won't see Keri at Christmas this year and that is OK.  This will be Granny Linda's first Christmas without Grand Pa Fred and I would imagine it will be a tough one. And besides, at 1 and 4 years old Christmas HAS to be at HOME for Kaelin and Finn. I got a photo yesterday of Kaelin and Finn next to the bare Christmas tree. The caption was, "I have two REALLY excited kids here!"
Decorating the tree


Playing along with the Christmas music
A week ago I sent all the grand kids an ornament that is a count down to Christmas. (We bought them last year after Christmas for 75% off!) Yesterday I got a phone message telling me that there were "30 days, 6 hours and 42 minutes until Christmas".  That sounds like a life time to Kaelin but Grandma is in a panic to get everything done. For Abby and Roman we can take 2 days off the count down because Christmas will start the minute they walk in our door. The London group is coming to Florida for Christmas this year and we are EXCITED ! Having family around for the holidays is such a blessing. Two of my sister-in laws have all their children and grand children living within 10 miles of them. I often think how lucky they are. But then I hear about all they are doing for the kids and grand kids and I think I will stay right where I am. And we DO have our little man Smith just down the road. Smith and parents were here for Thanksgiving and we had a great day. There is nothing like hearing that little voice saying "I Love You Grandma!"  Melts my heart every time!  
School photo 2 year old Smith

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