The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Merry Christmas to all!

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! 

I have been attempting to answer comments for the last 30 hours or so but it seems that everytime I try tBlog has different ideas! I will get around to it.  Just wanted to quickly update Christmas happenings; we had an absolute BLAST doing 'Chinese Christmas' with my family, my youngest sister and Dad were a little apprehensive going in but I honestly think they might have enjoyed it the most! I ended up bringing home one of the gifts I'd brought (everytime I'd get a gift someone else would take it, lol). It was a quesadilla maker and we tried her out this afternoon and loved it.

After celebrating with my family for the early evening we came back home with all the children and exchanged gifts. I think all the kids were happy even though they mainly got practical gifts from us. My hubby spoiled me yet again and bought me too many things but the best was... *drumroll please* A DIGITAL CAMERA!!! Yes, we have officially joined the age of technology and I will soon be posting sickening amounts of photos of the grandprince!  Speaking of the prince, he seemed to enjoy the festivities but really liked wearing the bows on his head- ok maybe we really enjoyed him wearing the bows! Heh.

The man and I were talking this afternoon remembering how when we were younger the afternoon of Christmas Day was sort of sad. We'd waited for so long for the 'big' day and then it was just over. Even still we knew that 364 days from now we'd be excited again. 

I hope you had a great Christmas wherever you are. To my faithful readers and friends I wish you nothing but love and happiness in the New Year.

S.

Well, I know this shouldn't surprise me but here we are 6 days away from Christmas and I'm sick as a dog! Sneezing, coughing, fevering, chilling, etc...  I've managed to stay pretty healthy this winter until now. I don't think it's the flu but it sure would qualify of 'totally feeling like crap' status.

On the upside, before I fell ill and into my bed I managed to make about 10 lbs. of pepermint bark to give as gifts. I wrapped almost all of the gifts we bought Saturday, and have them under the tree. This friends, is a major accomplishment for me. Usually I'm frantically wrapping gifts on Christmas Eve.

I think my boys are finally growing up a bit, while they're were mildly curious about the gifts there's been no begging to open 'just one' and no manic shaking of the boxes! Last year I resorted to giving each of them a new name. You see they'd drive us crazy about the gifts and comparing this one to that one, so last Christmas I renamed each of the children with one of the names of the Seven Dwarf's it worked wonderfully until I lost my master list of who was who!! This actually made things a little more fun.  Sleepy would open a gift that really belonged to Sneezy, Doc would open a gift that belonged to Dopey, and so on and so on.

Another year I assigned each child a 'number' and each gift was addressed to a specific number. I didn't lose my list that year, thankfully! Also each of the gifts I give the kids come from 'Santa' which they think is silly but I like it and I think secretly they do too!

What's your Christmas progress?

I'm going Christmas shopping Saturday.  This will most likely be the only shopping excursion I make during the holiday season.  Of course I won't remember everything and I'll make a few harried trips to Wal-Mart but the bulk of the shopping will be done Saturday with no less than 7,853 other people ( I imagine).

Shopping trips of yore were much different.  I suppose if there is an upside of shopping for teenagers it's the fact that there are very few mad-cap adventures looking for scarce toys like 'Tickle-Me Elmo' or 'Power Ranger' crap. I did a lot of shopping for 'Power Ranger' crap. A lot.

My son had two best friends in pre-school, Matt and Trent.  The three of them were inseperable primarily because their Mom's were BFF's. The 3 (Mom's) of us planned a number of outings that Christmas season 11 years ago. The first one I had to cancel out on at the last minute due to a nasty stomach flu. Unfortunately the other two Mom's ran into the deal of the century; they found two 'Saba's' at Toy's-R-Us.  What is a Saba you ask? Read on, dear friend...

Saba is the talking Sabre and advisor of the White Ranger. He was given to Tommy by Zordon for control of the White Tigerzord. A reluctant duo at first, Tommy and Saba finally learned to work together, with Saba quickly becoming the silent partner.

Saba was the thing 5 year old boys dream's were made of, my friend.  Did I mention there were only two?  My heart ached for my little power ranger when they gave me the  news, but I knew in my heart had I been the one to find the coveted Saba I would have snatched it up as well.  The Mom's promised me that we'd find one the following week when the shopping spree would move South to Chattanooga.

As soon as my feet hit the pavement of the Toys-R-Us I was on a mission.  There was no internet back then and no way to know for sure if the toy was in stock... anywhere remotely close. I lept out of the van at a dead run, headed straight for the action figure aisle.  No bother stopping to ask any of the store employees, that would only slow me down, I knew what I wanted. I skimmed the right side of the shelves, nothing, not even a pair of white ranger gloves.

Midway up the left side I saw it. 

It wasn't Saba, but it was close. It was the Dragon Dagger, side kick to the Green Ranger.  For those who didn't know the Green Ranger was the head honcho before the White Ranger took the helm. And I was less than 3 feet from it. My heart began to pound. "How cool would it be for him to have this toy.  My God it's almost vintage."  I grabbed the box with both hands, readying myself to dance a little jig, and then it happened.

From out of nowhere her big 'ol mitt of a hand grabbed the box dead center, "Hey bitch, that's mine."  Whoa. "Bitch?" I murmered.  "You heard me, that's mine." The wooly-mammoth-of-a-woman growled. Aiming to take the high road I said, "Ma'am I'm very sorry but you were no where near this toy, in fact there was no one in this aisle when I picked it up.  I'm very sorry but I have a 5 year old little boy who must have this Dragon Dagger" and with that I turned to leave.  Actually I was prepared to run!

Mrs. Grizzly Adams had a different agenda. She grabbed me by the elbow, spun me around and once again grabbed the box.  At this point my Southern etiquette went out the window.  I clutched the box to my bosom, pushed her hard away from me and made a mad dash to the check out line.  Lucky for me I was quicker than she, coupled with the fact that she'd scared the very bejeesus out of me, I arrived at the check out lane cash in hand and very out of breath.  I turned to see if she'd followed, luckily she hadn't.

I paid for my treasure and waited by the service desk for my friends.  Oh, and there were no Saba's in the store and according to the manager they didn't expect to get anymore in stock until June or so.  I knew my little boy would be disappointed at first then he'd realize he had a toy that absolutely nobody else had.  Of course, he'd also have no idea what that toy really cost... my dignity.

Yes, I'll admit that their 'toys' now are more expensive but rarely is there a gadget they just have to have.  I suppose I shouldn't have been so dead-set on getting that toy but I was.  All the scenario's I'd imagined in my mind revolving around Christmas morning couldn't compare with the awe and wander in his sleepy eyes that day so many years ago.  Dignity or no, it was worth it then, and it still is.