I'm kind of in a daze today.
LIke many people, I've spent the last several days seeing people, having the same conversations more than once as people get caught up, joking and laughing, buying stuff, baking, cooking, enjoying other people's company, wrapping gifts, opening gifts, preparing for social engagements, going back and forth between places, hosting and eating. The holidays. Wait, no: THE HOLIDAYS. My house is a strange place right now.
Got up at about 7 this morning, and finished Christmas Slaughter, so's I can move on to books I have recently recieved as gifts and would probably rather read. My toenails are sparkly blue because my daughter painted them last night as I watched my new DVD of It's a Wonderful Life from Nathan. Never seen the movie from credits to credits before last night, and didn't know they'd ever colorized it. Listened to new (to me) music from David. My dining room table is covered with gifts and holiday debris. I "made" breakfast out of coffee, my mom's pre-made sausage balls from the fridge (350 for 15) and strawberries (I think from C's mom) and oranges (have no idea where these came from). Walking into my kitchen right now is kind of like going to the store or an esoteric diner - I don't really know what we have, but it's probably all tasty.
Barbies and video games are spread across the den's coffee table, and piles of books are all around. The corner of the living room has big boxes in it, and these have new clothes stacked on top. I have nothing I'm supposed to be doing. No one wants work from me, not school or the Dems, no one's coming over right now, so if I clean, it's because I want to. We will hopefully have some company later this afternoon or tonight, so that's all good.
Dog's kind of a fruitcake right now. She's completely thrown off by all of the guests and changes in routine.
The fun and the joy are often frenetic, and require some level of effort to accomplish. These moments, when one can sit and soak up the quiet, hold the gem of the last few days up before the light to examine its facets, are necessary for someone like me to truly appreciate the pleasure of the holiday season. I have enjoyed the whirlwind of the last few days, and am looking forward to seeing nine of my favorite people over the next several, but for now? I'm going to listen to my brain instead of carols for a bit.
