Tis' the Season

  Guess what? 

It's has become painfully apparent to me that a certain holiday is just around the corner.

I found this out today when I opened the junk mail.

It spewed out red, green and tacky tinsel all over me.

I generally dread Christmas.

It's that time of year when you are forced to not only buy gifts for relatives 

you hardly like and/or know, but also spend 

quality Christmas time

with all of them.

I should mention my family is huge and extended.

This year however, I have announced that I will not be participating

in the whole present giving/receiving.

I will be there.

And by golly that should be enough as I'm clearly a gift as it is.

In all seriousness though, getting out of that present crap is going to save me

a butt load of time, energy and stress.

I will of course still buy my Mama something.

She did have to push me out of her vagina and then raise me after all.

I think that deserves a lifetime of gifts.

Though I must admit, she wasn't always giving it 100%.

A while ago I asked her why she decided on Holly for my middle name.

She quite honestly answered,

"Well Shauna, I just been in labour for 10 hours and they needed a full name.

There was a a bunch of holly nailed above the ward room doorway so I just thought 

yeah okay that could be nice, Shauna Holly"

First of all Ma, I was in your stomach for 9 months.

Did you really have to leave it to the last second to decide what I would be called for the rest of my life?

Secondly, I was born right at the end of January so what kind of hospital takes over a month to take down it's decorations. Outrageous.

 (I really don't mind my name at all, I'm just being an ass)

Despite seeming like a Grinch, I'm really not.

For many years I was but now I rather enjoy Christmas.  

I'm getting better.

Now that I don't have to worry about the insane Xmas shoppers I would usually 

have to deal with I think I might even enjoy being surrounded by my entire family all at once.

 

Christmas with friends is a whole other story.

A fabulous one.

It's all about getting to do it how ever you want it.

"Oh hey guys, I was thinking I might hang that old branch up over the table

and decorate it Xmas style for our feast"

"What an awesome idea! Now let's all get celebrate the day with a frozen margaritas

and long island ice teas!"

Christmas with friends is all about dancing...

 Until you are about ready to fall into the Christmas tree.

There are plenty of other things about this holiday that I love.

To mention a few

•  All the pretty, sparkly Christmas lights on houses
• The fact that people are just generally cheerful around this time of year. Even bosses.
• Decorating the Xmas tree. 
• Frozen margaritas and cold beer
• Santa hats, bon bons and the bad jokes that come inside them
• Even though most people like to pretend that the trashy Xmas music (like Mariah Carey singing 'All I want for Christmas") drives them crazy... I know they secretly like it. At least I most secretly do.
• Most importantly, my favourite thing about Christmas is starting new traditions. Candice and I have our own families but together we visit each. My crazy family in the morning/lunch, then in the afternoon/evening we takes our puppy family over to her parents.

As the years go by and we extend our little family to include a little person of our own,
these traditions will become even more important and special.

I kind of think that's half the reason I'm enjoying this time of year so much more.
 I don't want to be a Grinch that is set in her ways when we have a child.

I want to be the one throwing red, green and tacky tinsel.