Can we fast-forward past the moving, please?
Because I know y’all want to hear about the last few mattress pads, vaccuum bags, and rusted wrenches still left at my old apartment as much as I want to drive there after work today and deal with them. And because there’s nothing interesting in the world left to say about the drudgery that is unpacking. Even if some of the Barbie-containing boxes don’t get unpacked, but just shuffled from closet to cross-town closet. Even if Mommy’s tired enough to order pizza for dinner once again.
I want to fast-forward past the packing and on to the Christmas preparations. Then, after that, I want to blip over the revisions I still have to write on my second book, and hurtle toward the celebratory drinks that I will finally allow myself to have once those revisions are done. (That’s when I’ll post all the details, too. When I’m done with my final revisions.)
And, instead of filling out my son’s high-school applications and then waiting for all his auditions and recommendations and praying and ritual sacrifices to be done, I’d also like to fast-forward to the day we know without a doubt that he’ll be going to an awesome high school next year. And we know the morning and afternoon routes to my kids’ three different schools, too.
Why not? Why not spend a few minutes hoping for the space-time continuum to bend itself to my convenience?
Averting the Stress-mas
On the way back home from Austin on Sunday evening, I talked to the kids about how some adults freak out around the holidays because of bad experiences with Christmases past. Then, I shared with them my ambition not to freak out over Christmas Present.
Then I had us go around the circle (or square, formed by our seating within the vehicle) and each say what we liked about celebrating Christmas.
Eggnog, stockings, and picking out one’s own gifts, said Dallas.
Stockings, tree trimming, and having one’s gifts be a complete surprise, said Rory.
Whatever gifts Mom can afford, plus waking up early and opening stockings, said Josh.
Good, I said. Then that is what we will do. All that, and screw the rest.
I’m trying to do most of my shopping online. This new apartment, unlike the old, has ample room for a tree, which we will purchase this weekend and which I will let the kids decorate. The stockings? I’m using the same ones I sewed them so many years ago, back a million years ago when I had time to do things like sewing.
So, all I need to do is buy some egg nog and rent a few movies… maybe a honeybaked ham and a low-carb cheesecake or two… and that’s it. We’re good to go.
