My Heart Explodeth

Gosh, to "borrow" some less than holiday-ish lyrics I feel like time is "rolling down hill like a snowball headed for hell".  I CANNOT KEEP UP!  I'm having a blast, but it is going by in a serious blur.  I need a small notebook just to remember what I had for lunch yesterday.  Have you ever seen a Mom in a total hurry dragging her toddler faster than their little legs can carry them???  Yep, that about sums it up. 

Moments to Always Remember:

Making Pom-Pom Garland w/ my Meg while watching holiday movies and sipping on hot chocolate.

The giant plastic light up 5 foot Santa I drug home from Walmart.  It's ginormous and ultra tacky and I love it.  It was the display model and covered in bird poop and with my sparkling personality I managed to talk one very unamused bearded walmart gentleman into selling it to me as is for half price.  So BIRD POOP SANTA now resides in the house and delights me to the Nth degree.

Daily runs to Starbucks all over Tarrant and Wise counties with my darling husband at the helm driving us all over heck and back to look at lights and enjoy our wintery weather practically every day this month.  Sometimes in the AM and sometimes in the PM, but we didn't miss but a couple of days.  All while blaring Christmas tunes.  And it is alright with me if they take Paul McCartney's "Wonderful Christmas Time" off the playlist forever and ever.  And a shout out to the radio lady Delilah that comforts so many and tops the list of people my husband detests.  He hears her voice and he gets so visibly irritated I can hardly stop giggling.  Love you Delilah!

My son who is in charge of Christmas lighting, all fires in the fireplace, nightly hot tea and hot chocolate delivery.  He's the Host w/ the Most!

Surprise gifts in the mail.  Like Starbucks gift certificates from people who you miss and love and wish all the best.  And homemade ornaments all the way from Australia that bring tears to your eyes.  And chocolate from the premier chocolate companies of the universe.  The ones that have 210 calories in each piece.  Victorian ornaments from a friend who knew you when you thought you ruled 5th grade and still loves you anyway.  Friends...  Dear, dear friends.

Noticing for the first year in the last six that Christmas doesn't bring about the tears as readily as it once use to.  Certain Christmas carols use to tear me up.  "I'll Be Home For Christmas"...  "Pretty Paper" by Willie Nelson.  I feel pangs of nostalgia and I miss my Mom beyond measure, but the emotion doesn't sit at the top of my throat.  It has moved down and I'm able to feel the joy in all its purity.  What a blessing.  I can even observe adult mothers and daughters have lunch or out Christmas shopping without feeling as if my heart is being pulled from my chest.  Now I just think to myself "God bless you both for all the years you have together" and I mean it so earnestly.  My Christmas prayer.

And all the fur babies at our house.  We have too many.  5 cats and 1 precious long-haired chihuahua.  They seem to think the Christmas decor is their personal playground.  3 cats out of 5 climb into the Christmas tree and perch half way up like 15 pound birds.  Well, you can only imagine the carnage.  Preschool ornaments made by my son who hates to color...  Gone.  Trashed.  Just a memory.  Smashed vintage glass ornaments.  Formerly feathered bird ornaments.  They drag the quilt underneath the tree all over the place.  And today I awoke to this:

 

Yes, only the upper half of the tree remains lit and all ornaments on the bottom portion are missing in action.  Nice!

And then later in the afternoon:

     

And then my heart melts all over again.  Dex and Ali hope you're remembering what is truly important.  And there's no disputing the good a little nap will do you.