don we now our gay apparel....

I awoke this morning with the desire to hear some glorious Christmas carols. I've been waiting for that internal "on" switch to be kick started because up until now, the whole festive season was taking a detour around my soul. Granted, for the past 12 days the only thing I've wanted to do was put my head under a towel and my face over a hot bowl of water and steam my sinuses, and then crawl back on the couch and go back to sleep. That hasn't helped the mood or the ambience. I've been one miserable snotty wench in need of a shot of adrenaline.

But this morning as I stood in the front doorway waiting for the puppy to behave and return to the housefold (she's now doing her best to drive Lily crazy with her unrelenting desire to hump her head), I realized that the fresh air was finally making its way to my head. Morning had broken and so had my cold. And I swear to God, I heard angels bending near the earth to touch their harps of gold........or was it incessant barking from the little dustmops our neighbours refer to as dogs? No, I distinctly heard the angels.....over and above the high pitched rodent yappiness.

It wasn't even a midnight clear........I distinctly heard them touch their harps.

Oh, I have made a few attempts to capture the miracle of the season. The mantle is decorated nicely with ivy, candles and little lights....my wreath looks pretty hanging above it with a new big shiny gold bow bursting out of the greenery. I spent a couple of hours wrapping the back deck with garlands and new outdoor lights I had just purchased only to enjoy it for two hours before half string died out. I have yet to find the energy to unwrap and return the friggers....or maybe I was afraid I'd blow a gasket at the customer service counter over the shoddy merchandise and be thrown in jail, charged with uttering expletive threats. I can see the headlines now....

Phlegmy Filly Flips out.....and Cries Festive Foul!

Family and Friends Faint in Fright.

It's a good thing that my head is finally clearing......the constant dull throb is almost gone. Almost....as I take a break to blow some of my brains out once more..... When I look around this place I realize how cluttered and shoddy it looks.......ooooops and I look too! No wonder I felt ugly all week. I AM! I've let everything around me and myself fall into an abyss of neglect. No wonder no one wanted to hang with me. Who would? I have sounded and looked like an old hag whose life has been one big burden who God had left behind as a miserable mistake.

What a mess! Sure, I've been going about buying gifties, picking up stocking stuffers, and you know what? I don't have a freakin' clue what I've purchased or WHERE I've even hidden them! Good thing I've always enjoyed a good treasure hunt. Unfortunately I have no clues to lead me. They were thrown out with the garbage full of tissues. Gotta make a list and stick to it. Gotta NOT freak out over the length of the list too. That will be a challenge. But, hey!! I'm up for it!! Just need the right music......Just need to stop and let the fresh air fill my head and lungs.....let the sunlight pour its energy into my pores..... and soon the chestnuts on the open fire will be a delightful activity once again. Bring on Bowie and Bing! This little drummer girl is ready to ratta-tat tat!



Yes, but my spirits are rising......I'm not perseverating on myself. NO! The fire in my soul isn't a fever....it's enthusiasm. I have this urge to make a more clear headed attempt at writing my annual Christmas letter, which up until now was coming out like a dirge rather than a sparkly piece of prose. I have this desire to pull out the old recipes and then pass them onto my daughter to do something with. I WANT to see the gawdy well loved ornament wreath adorning the living room again, and the angels, and holly and jingle bells...... all of a sudden I'm looking forward to the sweat inducing struggle to put up the tree STRAIGHT, to decorate with all of those ornaments my husband and I have been collecting since our wedding day 21 years ago. Each adorned with special meaning.


Please God, let the lights work!





Wow! Could it be the angels we have heard on high, singing sweetly o'er the plains............or simply the accumulated drugs in my system echoing its joyous strains? No! It's the angels dammit! They are singing again. Just in time for a week of Christmas luncheons with friends and colleagues.....and JUST in TIME for this family to get their act together for a our annual open house shindig next Saturday.......just in time to send out cards, get the parcels on a bus to Ontario......just in time to gather with friends to celebrate winter solstice out in beautiful Keswick Ridge......just in time to enjoy the miracle of the birth of the Prince of Peace. Thank God!

Gee, all of a sudden the thought of wearing my party dress is appealing! Bring on the little black dress, I'm up for the dance.

So, where to start? Well, after I make the traditional Sunday breakfast......bacon and pancakes, which I am already doing as I write this....such a multi-tasker am i, am i........ and then go deal with the pen marks recently scribbled on the sofa cushion by an errant puppy (I thought she was on top of Lily's head, not chewing a PEN on the sofa!!).......I will start at my toes and work up. I can always think better when my toenails are painted red. I can sing better too.

I love Sundays. I love this time of year. Let it shine merry and bright. Let us don our gay apparel....and have some fun.




hmmmm, where are those antlers?? I hope the kiddies are game still.... :) The parents always are....