Christmas Shopping

The Field
December 5, 2007

It's that time of year when there never seems to be enough hours in the day to get everything done. We are still working on getting all the Christmas lights and decorations up. This is proving to be a bit of a challenge because we really don't know what we want for this house for Christmas decorating. Lights and decorations that worked at the last house just aren't working here so we have to come up with a new plan. The weather has turned cold with bouts of freezing rain making outdoor decorating rather unpleasant. Even the indoor Christmas lights and decorations don't seem to fit here. Then there is the beautiful fieldstone fireplace with stone mantle that is begging to have stockings hanging but I haven't figured out a way to hang them.

I am not a shopper even at the best of times but this time of year, I really hate shopping! So I tend to put it off as long as possible. Any number of excuses will work for me just as long as I can avoid the stores. Yesterday I was frustrated with the Christmas decorating progress so went shopping. The day before I had broke a dinner plate so needed to pick up a setting for 8 and since I'm getting bored with the ones I have now it provided a bit of an incentive. On my list of things to by were Christmas stockings, extension cords, dishes, LED Christmas lights, a long grocery list and a few gifts. My husband dropped me off at my first stop intending to meet me at my second stop then go grocery shopping. I finished shopping at the first stop with a lot of goodies then stopped to say hello to friends next door. I was shocked to hear the news that he was recovering from a recent stroke! We had not heard the news. After a short visit with assurances he was on the mend I walked to the next destination. That shopping went well and I was in the process of ordering grandbaby's birthday cake when my husband caught up with me. Yes I know I should make the cake myself but the party is going to be a large one two days before Christmas and I'm already tuckered out. It was getting late so we decided to fore go grocery shopping as I could do it today. Wrong, it's lightly snowing and it's cold so I'm staying indoors other than filling the bird feeders.