Sometimes You Just Have to Say.....

I ran myself ragged the week before Christmas making sure all of my errands and baking and knitting and wrapping and mailing and shopping and delivering were all done.  Once I picked the kids up from school for vacation, I wanted it to be all about them.  What they wanted to bake, make, craft, wrap, design, play..you name it, they were in charge.

The request was made for chocolate fondue as a snack before Christmas Eve Mass.  Due to Griffin's dietary requirements, we hadn't been able to do it for three years.  I made the fondue, diced the pound cake, washed and hulled the strawberries and managed to only spill a few mini marshmallows as I put the platter on the table.  I had time to clean up the mess, got the kids and myself showered, dressed and out the door, on time for 6:00 Christmas Eve Mass.  For the first time, I pulled it off solo.  Michael did not take Christmas Eve off this year.  I was feeling pretty good about my time management skills.  He did get home in time to pick up the Chinese food for dinner.

We were off the next day to my inlaws to celebrate Christmas and for the rest of the week, I had help.  Michael was going to be home!  Neither of us have ever taken time off to just stay home.  We take time off to do something, go somewhere...not to be home.  We were all looking forward to it.  He cooked all the meals, he helped me clean out the cellar, he worked on his trains with Griffin, he and Sarah hung out and did things only dads and daughters understand.  He let me sleep late, he kept the fire going, he did the dishes...it was heavenly.

That next Monday, the kids and I were sitting on the couch looking at each other.  Finally, I said, well, I guess I should go see about breakfast.  Michael had gone back to work.  There was no french toast, eggs, bacon, english muffins, sausage..you name it...ready and waiting for us.    I walked into the kitchen and the floor was cold.  Yup.  The kids and I slept until 9:30.  The fire had gone out..there was one barely red ember in the back of the woodstove.

Normally, we "deChristmas" the house on New Year's Day.  The tree gets stripped and taken outside (a chore I can't do myself) the Christmas dishes go in the cupboard above the refrigerator (really, is that not THE most useless waste of space ever?)and the everyday dishes come back out...(a job I can't do without bringing the stepladder up from the garage and we all know how much of a klutz I am and the ladder is taller than I am) and all of the Christmas decorations get packed up in plastic tub, the pictures and books that were packed away come back out and yup, you guessed it, Michael lugs them all downstairs.  He even takes down the outside decorations for me.

My parents were coming on January 5th to see the kids in the Epiphany pageant at church and to celebrate Christmas with us.  I decided to leave the decorations up.  The kids were going back to school on January 2nd, so I could make some headway with organizing the Christmas presents, maybe start to take down a few decorations and get some sense of order back in the house. Sounded like a great plan until a winter storm decided the kids needed a full two weeks vacation.  They were home Thursday.  They were home Friday.  It was very cold and windy.  They did not go outside to play for very long.  As soon as I got them all dressed and out the door, I would no sooner have my hand on something and they'd come back in, trailing hats, mittens, boots, ski pants, jackets and scarves behind them.

I don't think my parents had pulled out of the driveway yesterday before Michael was downstairs, getting the tubs for the Christmas decorations.  I was pulling ornaments off of that tree so fast.  Normally, I sort as I go, putting Sarah's ornaments in her box, Griffin's in his, ours in a different box.  Not this year.  They all went in boxes.  (remind me of that when I take them out next December and curse myself for my haste)  I normally coil the lights as I take them off.  Nope.  I was yanking and pulling those light strings like a crazy person.  I didn't even move the things that were under the tree.  As soon as the tree was naked, I summoned my ever faithful husband.  TAKE IT TO THE CURB.  NOW PLEASE.  He started to say something, but shut his mouth and did as he was requested.  I dumped the water out of the tree stand, tossed the tree skirt in the laundry pile and went to bed.  No vacuuming, no nothing.

Today, the kids were back in school.  Ah, peace, quiet...and Christmas.  I started bringing tubs up and packed the decorations away. I didn't get it all done before  I had to get the kids from school and take them to CCD.  We got home and they had to climb and weave through the chaos of half empty and half filled tubs everywhere.  Finally, I got Christmas put away.  I took all the tubs downstairs and stacked them up.  I had forgotten how heavy 30-plus hardcover Christmas story books are. The regular stuff is out.  It's not put away, it's just out.  It's stacked on the dining room table, on the bookshelves, on the footstool. There are crumbled balls of newspaper, ornament hooks, fir needles and bits of wrapping paper everywhere.  After numerous trips up and down the stairs, I am sweaty, I am tired, I am dusty.  I am more appreciative of my husband than I was before.  The simple little things he does, just because he can, well, they really do make a difference and they do make my life that much easier.  Without him around things are harder and more work.

The house is a disaster.  Sometimes you just have to say......and I did.  I'm on the couch, my feet are up, I have a cat next to me and a cup of tea in my hand.  As soon as I hit the publish button, I'm going to go spend some quality time in a book.  The mess will be here tomorrow.  My husband will still be gone, working.  The kids will be in school, life is slipping back into a familiar routine.  For a little while tonight, however, I'm going to go be someone else, somewhere else..in the pages of a book.