The stockings were hung by the chimney with care – well maybe not stockings – but tinsel and glitter anyway.  As of today, I’ve finished the Christmas shopping and wrapped the gifts.  The cards will just have to wait for now, but I’ll get to them.  I still have some Christmas goodies to make to so I’m not really done, but it helps sometimes to tell yourself you are.  It alleviates some stress.

My son volunteered his house for Christmas dinner and I’m planning to make my famous Italian Cream cake.  It was my mother-in-law’s recipe.  It is not easy to bake, so I only do it for special occasions.  Wish me luck.

When my children were young I gave them the task of wrapping the packages.  That way if the presents looked like they were wrapped by a kid, they were!  It was fun for them (I think) and took a load off me.  I put the gifts in boxes with names on them and taped them shut.  I then sat the kids, paper, bows etc. next to the tree, put on some Christmas music and began making cookie dough.  This worked when they were little.  It got everyone in the Christmas spirit and divided some of the tasks so everything was accomplished.  Some call that child labor, I called it teaching them responsibility. The dog normally got in on the frivolity – he was in charge of tearing up the cardboard tubes once it was empty of paper.  Sometimes we tried to string popcorn for the tree, but the dog thought that was to eat too.

Now that the kids are grown with their own tree to trim and it is just me and my husband, I still like to decorate a little and try to make things festive.  I’d like to find a smaller tree that isn’t so heavy going up and down the attic stairs.  I’m not as young as I used to be and can’t break any child labor laws now, but I still get a few things done.

Oh wait!  I think I forgot a present!

Merry Christmas!