Merry Christmas

The thing that's wonderful about Christmas, is that even though I didn't do nearly all the things I had planned on doing, and some of the things I did do, I didn't do very well and I yelled at my kids too much because I was stressed out from starting too many ambitious projects that became difficult to finish with my ineffiecient brain, and I completely failed in many other areas as well, I still don't feel completely hopeless about myself. I rarely actually feel completely hopeless - I save those moments for my semi-annual (sometimes quarterly) 'I'm the lamest person ever pity party', but with so many things left undone, or done more expensively than was needed online from people like Dwight Shrute because of procrastination, and not spending enough time with the girls because I didn't plan the month of December very well even though I knew they would be off track, and having not sent out any Christmas cards, or baked for our neighbors and friends, etc., etc., etc., (I may have to follow this up with some damage control) I don't feel nearly as bad as I ordinarily would, because the message/meaning of Christmas is all about hope, and I actually feel hopeful and confident that I will overcome many of my shortcomings and be a better person because of Christ's birth.

(Wow! Most of that was one sentence - and not a very good none either)

Tonight we went over to Evelyn Mount's to drop off some stuff, and Ella brought three blankets she has made over the last couple weeks for needy children, which was all her own idea and doing. The men working at Evelyn's told the girls they could take them into the house and give them to Evelyn themselves. They each took a blanket and walked through the garage to the house door where Evelyn was standing, and handed them to her. She was very happy, said how beautiful they were and praised the girls and thanked them. I was proud of Ella, not only for wanting to do something nice like that with her time, but also for unselfishly letting Eva and Sophie share in her moment of giving. Then I wished I had taken more time to do things like that with the girls, instead of being all frantic and grouchy trying to get my stuff done in a crunch. But, the message of Christmas is about hope, and so I look forward to being prepared earlier next year, so we can do more of the things that Christmas is actually about, in a more calm and pleasant manner :) And yes, I know I'm not a bad person, or as bad as I just made myself out to be, but I definitely need a 'life coach', a personal assistant, or someone who can clean up the debris I leave in my wake and keep me on schedule/on task during the last two weeks before Christmas ;-)

Merry Christmas from our family to yours :)

p.s. I should have just been wrapping instead of blogging...