One Exhausted Elf

In case you’ve been in a turkey-induced nap since Thanksgiving, I’ll state the obvious: it’s Dec. 21. It’s the winter solstice and The Big Day is only 4 days away. Christmas. Perhaps I should be tackling the rest of my To Do list right now, rather than whipping up another blog post. But I’ve been a slave to the To Do list for a few weeks and I really need a blogging break.

The Winter Solstice: the shortest day of the year. This is unfortunate as this is the season when I need longer days, more daylight, and the energy of all of Santa’s elves to get my To Do list done. (The upside is that as of tomorrow, the days will be longer. The increase in the minutes of daylight won’t be very noticeable but I find comfort in knowing that there is potential for my brain to stay awake longer! I have a (possibly naïve) hope that this will make our school mornings more manageable. Let’s just say our mornings have gotten harder and more chaotic as the days have become shorter. The kids have not bounced out of bed before school, eyes wide open, limbs jumping into clothes. Mornings are frantic, no matter how much I prepare the night before by setting out clothes and making lunches. So maybe the slightly longer days starting tomorrow will make life easier around here. A girl can dream, right?

Part of our morning trouble is because of me. I hit the snooze button on my alarm clock a minimum of three times. Sometimes more. But life has been extra busy lately and I’m tired. I’ve been moonlighting as one of Santa’s elves. Sure, the elves are experts at preparing for Christmas but I suppose even they need a hand sometimes. Even they feel the time crunch when Thanksgiving is later than usual, as it was this year. The pre-Christmas season was condensed this year and elves (official as well as volunteer elves, like me) are feeling the pressure.

Part of surviving this busy season is taking breaks, even when you have too much to do. On my daily walks I enjoy looking around the neighborhood, seeing the different ways people decorate and personalize the season. Here are some of the ways our neighbors are showing their spirit:

 

 

 

These are Christmas cacti, which I think are beautiful:

 

 

Well, my break time is probably over. Back to Santa’s workshop I go. The head elf is depending on me to make 248 toy boats before midnight, and I’m a little behind. Don’t tell the big guy in red!