Christmas 2024
It was nice to get off work at noon yesterday. Come home, have lunch, chill. I'd gotten everything done by Sunday, so it was a matter of remembering to bring my gifts downstairs, which I did after 9 PM. And promptly got yelled at. I'd turned on the dining room light so I could see what I was doing, only dad was perhaps still wrapping gifts, or needed to start, yet was on the couch in the family room. I saw nothing untoward and purposely didn't look to the far end of the table, then went back upstairs. HP4 was playing and I had that on for a bit, which is amusing since that's the book I'm on. I couldn't watch the ending, though--not because I'm not quite there yet, but because I know it's dark and I wasn't in the mood for that.
I did sleep pretty well overnight, at least. I woke up with my alarm just before 6 and promptly fell back asleep until almost 8. It's so nice to be able to sleep in. It was almost 9 by the time we opened presents. It's been our MO for a few years now that we don't buy each other super exciting things, but practical ones. Mom actually figured someone would buy her coffee, which I did; she likes half-caff, which is hard to find, and Walmart's house brand has some. And dad got tea, as did I (since I bought it myself), so when we finished, we put the tea in the cabinet and...there's currently 17 boxes of tea. We may have a problem. To our credit, some of that was bought by mom. It's old and not something dad or I would drink.
Other gifts were immediately put out or put to use. Dad got mom a pink vase that goes nicely with the living room. He also got her new placemats for the kitchen table; they look like little rugs. I got him a tension rod to help prop open the dishwasher door so it can air out. I've wanted a solution like this for a while, and I got the idea from Puffy, actually, who had drainage issues at her former apartment. We can't leave the door open because it's a trip hazard--my father hurt himself on it at one point--but if it's closed, it can't air out.
Mom got us more travel electric toothbrushes. At least these were in fun colors. Mine's an ombre blue.
There's one more gift coming, according to dad. I have no idea what it is but I have that to look forward to when I come home from work tomorrow. He did get me a new phone charger, saying he checked my current one to make sure he got the right size. ...This means he entered my sanctuary, eeks. But I did ask for one so it can come with me to New York. I don't want to risk losing my only one on the trip. And I officially got the travel containers I'd picked out at The Container Store, so that's good. They actually stack together and the top one has a handle on it, which is cool. It's funny that I got new ornament holders since we never pulled out the decorations. Not sure when I'll get to use them, but at least now I have them.
Dinner was relatively simple again, the way Thanksgiving was, and that's fine. The only issue was that around 1 PM, just before all the food was done, mom's older brother called. Mom was on the phone with him and his roommate for about an hour. Mom's always hungry and had already eaten salad, but yeah, she missed the meal with us. I thought I heard her trying to get off the phone several times, but to no avail. At least my uncle is on board with grandma moving. I think they were in the "she should move" corner before mom and her younger brother were. Mom also talked to grandma earlier today. Mom was worried she'd be depressed; she missed her food delivery yesterday and was upset with herself. Again, this is one of the reasons she is moving. Well, grandma is doing okay and feeling pretty good, so that's great to hear. Mom and my aunt and uncle will be over there on Saturday to sort through things and decide what's coming with them next Tuesday. I told mom that part of me wants to go up there, and since I only work until noon again, and they're not scheduled to be done until 1 PM in the city and the movers are stopping at my uncle's house first, that should give us time for me to come home, grab a bite, change clothes, and head up there.
As for the rest of the day, I had some bills to pay and felt I needed a walk, so I traipsed over to the post office. Gosh, it was so much quieter than it was last Saturday. Practically a ghost town. The liquor and tobacco store was open, and the movie theater was relatively hopping, but otherwise nobody was around. It was nice. And a reminder that I need to find a way to walk more. The fresh air is in fact good for me and I felt a little calmer afterward.
I did sleep pretty well overnight, at least. I woke up with my alarm just before 6 and promptly fell back asleep until almost 8. It's so nice to be able to sleep in. It was almost 9 by the time we opened presents. It's been our MO for a few years now that we don't buy each other super exciting things, but practical ones. Mom actually figured someone would buy her coffee, which I did; she likes half-caff, which is hard to find, and Walmart's house brand has some. And dad got tea, as did I (since I bought it myself), so when we finished, we put the tea in the cabinet and...there's currently 17 boxes of tea. We may have a problem. To our credit, some of that was bought by mom. It's old and not something dad or I would drink.
Other gifts were immediately put out or put to use. Dad got mom a pink vase that goes nicely with the living room. He also got her new placemats for the kitchen table; they look like little rugs. I got him a tension rod to help prop open the dishwasher door so it can air out. I've wanted a solution like this for a while, and I got the idea from Puffy, actually, who had drainage issues at her former apartment. We can't leave the door open because it's a trip hazard--my father hurt himself on it at one point--but if it's closed, it can't air out.
Mom got us more travel electric toothbrushes. At least these were in fun colors. Mine's an ombre blue.
There's one more gift coming, according to dad. I have no idea what it is but I have that to look forward to when I come home from work tomorrow. He did get me a new phone charger, saying he checked my current one to make sure he got the right size. ...This means he entered my sanctuary, eeks. But I did ask for one so it can come with me to New York. I don't want to risk losing my only one on the trip. And I officially got the travel containers I'd picked out at The Container Store, so that's good. They actually stack together and the top one has a handle on it, which is cool. It's funny that I got new ornament holders since we never pulled out the decorations. Not sure when I'll get to use them, but at least now I have them.
Dinner was relatively simple again, the way Thanksgiving was, and that's fine. The only issue was that around 1 PM, just before all the food was done, mom's older brother called. Mom was on the phone with him and his roommate for about an hour. Mom's always hungry and had already eaten salad, but yeah, she missed the meal with us. I thought I heard her trying to get off the phone several times, but to no avail. At least my uncle is on board with grandma moving. I think they were in the "she should move" corner before mom and her younger brother were. Mom also talked to grandma earlier today. Mom was worried she'd be depressed; she missed her food delivery yesterday and was upset with herself. Again, this is one of the reasons she is moving. Well, grandma is doing okay and feeling pretty good, so that's great to hear. Mom and my aunt and uncle will be over there on Saturday to sort through things and decide what's coming with them next Tuesday. I told mom that part of me wants to go up there, and since I only work until noon again, and they're not scheduled to be done until 1 PM in the city and the movers are stopping at my uncle's house first, that should give us time for me to come home, grab a bite, change clothes, and head up there.
As for the rest of the day, I had some bills to pay and felt I needed a walk, so I traipsed over to the post office. Gosh, it was so much quieter than it was last Saturday. Practically a ghost town. The liquor and tobacco store was open, and the movie theater was relatively hopping, but otherwise nobody was around. It was nice. And a reminder that I need to find a way to walk more. The fresh air is in fact good for me and I felt a little calmer afterward.