Christmas Eve

12:11am - Christmas Eve 2010, the night before Xmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring not even a mouse- oh crap, that doesn't work in my world...the cat is howling (yes howling, kind of a sick MEEEOOOOW sound that echo's through your brain, to which point I get up from what I'm doing to chase the cat to another area of the house at least 5 or 6 times a night)...I'm also listening to Greta moan in her sleep as the pounding wind against the house is ensuring we all have restless sleeps, so that little poem doesn't quite work...But WOW, it's Xmas Eve...it does not feel like it at all. I posted a comment earlier on Facebook that I wish I could return to childhood Christmas Days. It just seemed like Christmas meant a little bit more than what it does now: Dolls, Barbies, Cabbage Patch Kids have all been replaced with iPhones, iPads, Laptop computers and cell phones, who would have thought that parents and kids had the same wish list. As I was driving to the store the other night I was listening to the kids call Santa on the radio, I almost went off the road when one little guy asked for an iPhone, laptop and ping pong table - and Santa said the gifts would be under the tree...every kid that night but one asked for an electronic item and in my opinion "an adult toy"...The one little girl who didn't, asked for Lego, Silly Bandz and a surprise...I almost cried (and I'm not emotional at all). This new generation of kids won't know how to talk to people or communicate face to face, or know what it's like to play with real toys like Barbies and board games, sure they can do the virtual play world and play games online, but it's not the same...and this is coming from someone who LOVES the internet, facebook and email...I would be lost without them, but I had a lifetime of learning to talk to people, and to make eye contact and fun with games and toys, the kids now are missing out! So, that is my Xmas rant on the state of today's children! A friend was at the house this past week and asked where Greta's toys were, and I said, she really doesn't have many...she doesn't, honest, she is 6 months old (Today actually marks 6 months) she only needs a few things, and we are not going insane on Christmas Day either, I'm holding strong to not have a house over run with toys, I have to say, I'm quite proud of myself and the state of our house thus far. We did get her a few sweet toys, and a new toy shelf to put the new goodies on, but unless she grows 10 arms, I didn't think we would overload her with too many items to play with. And, there is not one clothing item under the tree...they all just went to the closet..ha! But back to Christmas past and present. Years ago, we were always running the roads, had family and friends to visit, people came to visit us, I entertained, had the house full with drinks and food throughout the month of December, but that doesn't happen anymore, it's a very lonely holiday now. If it wasn't for the Christmas House Tour, only a handful of people would have seen my Xmas Tree(s). Just sad, everyone assumes I love Xmas, but it's actually my least favorite holiday (well, Valentines Day is my least favorite, but I don't really class it as a holiday, just a stupid day - mind you, I did get engaged on V-day, but it was a weak moment, I may have said, wait until the 15th...ha). I do love the decorating, the shopping, the planning, but then Dec 20th arrives (give or take a day) and I'm ready for it to be over. It's my least favorite, because I hate to admit, it's a let down, and not with gifts, but with people. It's just so different and because it's so different, it just doesn't feel like Christmas is really here. Maybe (and by this I mean hope) as Greta gets older, we'll make Christmas fun again and she'll be able to have good memories of the holidays with our little family of three + the critters.

This year does mark a major change in my Christmas Tradition, for the 1st time since 1987 I will not be going to Port Elgin for Christmas Breakfast at my Aunt Pegs as they have moved the breakfast to Moncton and it's just too far to justify a trip for Eggs and Toast! For the past 9 years, I have spent Christmas on my own on the Island, but have driven over in the morning solo for breakfast and all my family from Moncton and Port Elgin and surrounding area arrived for an open house breakfast. It was at last years breakfast I broke the shocking and astounding news that Darren and I would be parents, my aunt and Haley were both given gifts with the "news" written out and neither of them could figure out what it meant as it just didn't make sense to them that Baby 2010 was saying, GAIL and DARREN were expecting...we finally had to actually tell them in plain language, at which point Haley stated, but you can't have a baby, you don't like kids! AHHH, the Christmas Memory from 2009. So, I'm sad I won't have a drive to Port Elgin this year, but a new tradition will begin - I'll be getting up at 7am like I have done for the past few months and feeding Miss Greta! I celebrate Christmas on Boxing Day, as Mom and my niece Haley come from Moncton for a 2nd Christmas. We have our Xmas dinner, and then open our gifts on the 26th...but this year, Darren wants to open presents on Christmas Day, so we will have Santa's presents, and we'll take a peak at the gifts from each other at least, then wait for the others. Darren will go to visit his family and do his Christmas in Rustico and Greta and I will play with her new toys and relax at home...I hope she will take a nice long nap, I really do like a quite Christmas Day, I'm afraid I'll be flying solo on Facebook though...that may be lonely..ha!

So, that is what we have to look forward to, an end of an era of Christmas traditions and the start of new ones to come.

And can you believe it, we have hit the 6 month mark, I'm astonished, I always heard friends say how quick time goes by, but WOW..Greta is 6 months old, I've been off work for 7 months, and my time no doubt will go twice as fast over the next 5 months and I'll be back to work. I originally thought there was no way I could survive 6 months off work, I must admit, I've gotten use to not working. I still need to work and when the time comes, I'll be happy to return to a work routine, friends and a social life with adults. Now, I do hope and have fingers crossed that the next 5 months are better then the past 6 health wise. Lord do I ever wish I could have just one week of feeling like a human being and not a lab rat who has the record of medical complications. I did think my round moon face was coming down, but after seeing a few people out the past few days who haven't seen me in awhile, by the looks on their faces I know I still look like a ballooned freak (for the record, for those who have seen me the past few days, the fact that I'm out in public means it looks 100% better than what it had a few weeks ago). If Santa is listening...please, please, just take some of this water from me.

And as Christmas 2010 approaches it does not look like a White Christmas will be here, instead, people will be lucky to not have the pumps going to clean out flooded basements. The wind, the storm surge and the rain has not stopped, I haven't seen anything like it. When I came home today after a rather pleasant trip to the grocery store, I noticed one of our huge trees on the side of our property was uprooted, and leaning...with each wind gust the earth was moving up and the tree was swaying....towards our neighbours roof! Oh my, do you know if our tree goes down due to natural causes, totally out of our control, and happens to go through their roof, we are responsible! We called Maritime Electric to ask for assistance as not only was the tree aiming for the neighbours home, but it would have taken out the power line on it's way down. They came to assess the "potential damage" and I'm not sure if the guy just heard our concerned voices or was feeling in the Christmas Spirit, but he called in the crew and our tree has been cut down. Sad to see such a huge tree go and it was in one of my favorite gardens, but I can't imagine how the neighbour would have felt with the new sky light for Christmas, nor do I think the neighbourhood would have been impressed with no power the day before Xmas. Of course, we are left with all the wood, not quite sure what we will do with it, hopefully we can give it away to someone with a wood stove.

So, this is a flip flop all over the place post. I must depart, now 1:01am, and we have a hectic and full Xmas Eve planned, with work for Darren, visits to work for Greta and I, visiting, gift deliveries, Church for Darren, sleep for Greta...and presto, Santa will be arriving.

Enjoy a lovely Christmas Eve, Toodles!