Ho Ho Hooey(?)

  Well, here I am, after having taken a jaunt away from writing (a little burned out after classes this fall) I'm back to settle in for a regular blog.
  Christmas has never been my favorite holiday. I tend to lean towards appreciation of Halloween instead. Don't get me wrong, I love the baking of the season. I love the idea of breaking bread with old friends and new. I love the lights, wrappings, and generosity of the season. The part that gets me down, and has for the last 7 years is that I don't get to spend this joyous holiday with my family.
  Last year I spent my Christmas in a type of foggy coma. My son was a month and a half old. My husband and I were both VERY sleep-deprived. I wasn't expected to contribute to the festivities, and I had zero interest in even attempting an effort. We had no tree. (Technically we had /3/ trees, boxed and in the attic... along with all the ornaments, lights, stockings, candles, decorations, wrapping paper, etc.) It took effort to grab a quick shower this time last year... why bother putting up a tree that neither ourselves nor anyone else would appreciate? I couldn't go shopping (nursing every 2-3 hours really puts a cramp on excursions), nor did I want to go shopping. I became a miserly scrooge. bah-humbug.
  This year is different. We have a tree, out of the box and trimmed. We have a healthy son who has graduated to mostly cow's milk. I have baked til my fingers were burned. I have shopped! (Online shopping with free shipping is REALLY a Christmas miracle!) Our little family has received more Christmas cards from Canadian addresses than American ones (And I have never felt more appreciated for being remembered after 7 years of living in the USA and one year of completely skipped Christmas cards coming from us!)
  I am feverishly uploading pictures from our son's first year of life to take advantage of photobook sites and their holiday 'deals' for gifts for family (hey, better 'late' than 'never').
   I even was so bold this year as to invite over friends from our old theater-going days to come have a home-cooked meal with us (because taking a one-year-old out is NEVER an easy task and causes more stress for us than prepping an entire meal for 9).
   While I miss my family back in Canada more than anything at this time of year, I do have those whom I'd call 'family' here in the USA; and it is having these people in my life that has made all the difference.