Yuletide Days, Part 1

Phone rings moments ago.  The ringtone is my husbands. 

I answer cautiously "Hello?" as I am somewhat perplexed by his early a.m. call. 

Lloyd: "Are you going to blog anytime this month?"

OkOkOk.  I've gotten away from my "daily" blogs which have turned into "semi-bi-weeklys".  What can I say, the world seems to be on Christmas vacation, Hannukah relaxation, or some variation of religious lounging.  I almost forget each day, too, that I am not technically on vacation.  While work has gone slow with the schools off, I still have stuff ta'do in preparation for busy spring semesters.  And I have this here trusty blog to do.  Not that I hafta, but it makes my day bright.  And plus I need somewhere to use my lingo like "hafta"

But oh well.  I'm doing it from my jim-jams.  I have been enjoying this season.  I am enjoying the heater that is blowing its warm air on me right at this moment.  In a few hours, I might gripe about how there's still so-much-ta'do before Christmas.  My back has been all bits of geriatric achiness lately.  From the makers of gifty wrapping comes muscle relaxers for the strange contortions I find my body in as I wrap away.  The cutting, leaning in, the taping and the breath-holding as I pray it doesn't look like a disaster. 

And then there's the reprimands.  My cats love the holidays and all the wrapping paper.  As I unroll those decorative sheets, these 4 come tumbling in and take a seat right atop.  Bastards.  And I will say, in my very sternest of voices "Nooooooooo.  NO! NO! OFF!".  And they might look my way as if pretending to pay attention.  They will cock their heads slightly, pretending to try to pick up what I am puttin' down with my words.  I know the little demons understand me.  They seem to understand when I say "You wanna treat?" so give me a break if we don't think they understand the complexities of the word "NO!"

And as I try to swoosh them away, they take a rip out of the paper as their claws grip the delicate paper.  And I don't even think they do it on accident.  I think they do it as a way of being vengeful for me taking all the fun outofit.  And what is odd is that I will sometimes tear a strip off just for their frisky leisure.  But they don't want this strip of beautiful wasted paper.  They want that piece right there... the one that has the gift that is being wrapped.

Yuletide Days, Part 2 A'comin....