Saved My Holiday

  My husband is saving my holiday spirit. Every holiday season I start out with the best intentions. I say all my cards will go out on time, all my presents will not only be early, but they’ll be presented with wrapping paper, curly ribbons and sparkly bows ala USPS. A tag from me to you. From us to them. With love. I say I’ll attend every party I’m invited to. I’ll shake out the wings of a social butterfly and fly. Every year I say all these things and every year it doesn’t quite work out that way. Except this year. So far this year so good.
It’s the 18th and 95% of my cards made it out into the world of friends and family, despite all the moving around they do (you can stop now, Jon). I’ve discovered the real trick is to Let Go. Every year I’m bound and determined to write lengthy Here’sWhatWe’reUpTo cards. Every year I refuse to just sign my name, fake his. Letting go allowed for a happy median. A concession of sorts. For the people I barely know I barely wrote. Why struggle with writers block for the sake of a once a year hello? I won’t write a book, I don’t just sign our name – something in the middle, something sane. We wrote them together. He filled in the spaces of my writers block with something to say. I like this together stuff.
The last of the packages went out, thanks to the rockin’ husband. Becca, Angela, Chet…a little something coming their way thanks to my hero, gallantly braving the post office lines, the grumpy, impatient people…
Over the weekend we went to R & C’s for a non-holiday holiday party. Gifts exchanged on the sly. Food on every table, laughter in every room. The butterfly didn’t exactly emerge but I wasn’t part of the wallpaper, either (if R & C even had wallpaper). I ate too much, I laughed even more.
We went to see sirsy. I was disappointed I didn’t hear any Christmas songs. Mel does a mean Happy Christmas (War is Over), but what I really missed was Some Kind of Winter. That’s one of my Live Cry songs. It’s absolutely amazing. My Hero came through with Christmas carols all the way home. Everything from Elvis to Twisted Sister to Frank, JT, and Vonda.
We went to the traditional Other Side of the Family Christmas party. Another get-us-all-together with food on every table. Scratch tickets and scratchy toddlers. Football and funny stories. The only one missing was Irene. I said a little prayer for the grace missing.
We went to the traditional office party with nontraditional karaoke and coffee before cordials. Conversation about BBQ, skiing and family. I held my own. I think I did.