Awake....Thinking of Christmas

I have joined the ranks of my most beloved insomniacs.

I planned to start going to the gym at 5:30am this week, but I can't fall asleep. I fell asleep at 3am yesterday, so the gym was out and I'm wide awake now at 1 am. I need to sleep so that I can get up early, but my body's not making the switch!!! I may just have to stay up all night so that I conk out at 9:30pm tomorrow to get on my new schedule.

Christmas shopping! I've been browsing Amazon.com tonight for good buys on gifts. I'm not in the mood for Black Friday or any day thereafter. But, I'm so amazingly frugal, that I can't bear that I know I can buy some of the gifts I have my eyes on for cheaper if I just go search out the bargain.

I'm off all next week. I'm going to buy my very first, very own Christmas tree. I'm really excited. There's no compromise. I get to buy what I want and I don't have to take anybody else into consideration... But then, there's Christmas morning. I have never, ever, ever awaken in an empty house on Christmas Day. I climbed into my mom and dad's bed to wake them up so that we could go downstairs and open presents every year of my life until I was 24!!! What am I going to do? I can't wake up alone in my apartment on Christmas morning. That's not going to work. I may have to go home and wake up with Mommy and Daddy like I did last year (except I was living there last year).

Tell me about your holiday doings? Do you shop early? Are you done? Waiting until Christmas eve? Don't do Christmas? Bah, Humbug? Open gifts on 24th pm? 25th am? Read The Night Before Christmas? Luke 2? Egg nog? Hot buttered rum? Cider? Secret Santa? Buy for the whole family? I want to hear it all. So tell me already!

Here are some things I expect to see every Christmas morning.




My folks always make a huge fruit basket, always while we're sleeping, always with a pineapple in the middle, all kinds of nuts, tangerines and Christmas candies...especially red and green peanut M&Ms, the house favorite. And there's always, always a poinsettia. Even with the dogs. That's a myth.

More questions: Did you believe in Santa? Do you still? Was he taboo? A sin? Satan? Do you let your kids have Santa? My friend's 4 year old still calls him "the boy". She has no idea who he is. Not because my friend is withholding him...she's just trying to buy as much time as she possibly can. I think the cat's outta the bag this year...at least if I have anything to do with it.

Latkes!! I associate those with Christmas too, although I know they're Jewish, so that's just wrong. I love them. This came from celebrating all of the winter holidays with my students when I taught 1st and 2nd grade. I love all the traditions. Anybody know how to play Dradle? What about the words to the song?