A Cottage Christmas on a Smaller Scale

We had a very nice, little Christmas.  I think Dorothy enjoyed it more than anyone.  She was gifted an extra large chewy and went wild on it.  By her reaction, you’d  have thought that dog had never been given a treat in her entire life. 

She was overjoyed, hyper, protective, feral, and in shock over her luck, all at once.  She went all crazy eyed and delved into her fortune whole heartedly, even without teeth.  

The other hounds inhaled their goodies immediately.  I made sure they each got a new toy and a chewy.  Last year, I forgot to buy them presents and they were visibly disappointed that everyone else got something and they did not.

But their favorite part of Christmas? Having Dewdrop here to lavish them with attention.

She is an adorable charmer and we all loved having her with us.  And the dogs weren’t the only ones who were excited about gifties, this lil sprite was enthusiastic and appreciative over every package, large or small

One hit (get it, bats, hit?) was Thia’s softball equipment from her years as a player.  Dewdrop now is into the sport and was excited to get a bagful of bats, balls, etc to add to her collection.

I’m afraid the bag itself didn’t fare well over night.   Our dogs have picked up some sort of virus that has been passed from one to the next.  That first night, Christmas Eve, I was caught unaware that this illness was beginning.

Poor Honey had it first.  And the poor sports bag, felt the effects.  I woke up to a big mess that I needed to clear and sanitize before that child saw what had happened to her favorite present!

I was groggy when I stumbled upon the evidence of what was to become a week of one dog after another spending a couple of days with a tummy ache.

Because the smoke detector had been chirping all night long.  I was the only one who heard it, but I couldn’t reach it until the guys came out with the big ladder to save Christmas.

Besides those small misadventures, we’ve had a lovely, laid back week of vacation.  Our family gathering was not big this year, and our other people were greatly missed.  

We had fun outings together to SeaLife and Hallmark Crown Center.  Some movies, a binge of Otter Dynasty (funny, weird, and mesmerizing), played some games, and made some crafts.

Sugarwings had an idea to make “kindness bags” and distribute them to the homeless on Christmas Day.

This is also the first year that I’ve treated the week between Christmas and New Year as a vacation myself.  No big organized crafts, building gingerbread neighborhoods, or decorating three kinds of cookies. Meals have been group efforts.

 We have eaten treats gifted to us, I bought a bag of chocolate and only made one cake beforehand.  As teens, the kids could entertain themselves without me orchestrating events to make it all “Christmassy”.  

Being out of town five of the last ten weeks, plus working in retail the busiest season might have worn me down. I have been very worried about my sister, which tends to slow down all aspects of my world and dampen the colors around me.

We are also planning a camper trip to Florida (and Disney!) so I am trying to get my Good Juju inventory prepped and ready for both January’s and February’s sales before hitting the road.

I learned that Christmas can be magical without all of the mechanics I typically am working.  Not that I ever minded all of the work I’d put into the holiday, I loved every minute of it.  And I have learned that I can also love a more laid back celebration too.

Perfect was never a goal, that’s unattainable, and a recipe for disaster.  My goal was always to keep things festive.  And I think my grandfairies have that skill within themselves by now.

Because festiveness most certainly occurred and I mostly sat back and relished in it. 

Comments

[Ellen Bailey]

Karla - It looks like you had a wonderful Christmas in spite of worrying about your sister. It's nice that the "Grands" are old enough to amuse themselves and to help out where needed.

I'm glad you had the chance to kick back and enjoy some quiet time and rest. I used to host Christmas Eve for the family and found it more and more stressful until my sister-in-law said that I didn't have to do it all myself! It was difficult to let others do things to help out, but quite a relief once I got the message!