It’s Festivus!
Yes, I have a Festivus mug. Doesn’t everyone? Our family celebrates Festivus, but we do it in our own special way. We don’t have an aluminum pole or air our grievances (we used to air grievances, but one year it got out of control and we decided it wasn’t a very nice way to spend the day before Christmas Eve.) We always go out for bagels, because in the Festivus episode Kramer works at H&S Bagels, and then the kids and I go shopping- my husband splits off to do his own shopping- and then we go home to wrap presents. At night we watch The Polar Express. It’s a far cry from the Costanza’s original Festivus, but it’s what’s evolved for our family over the years; basically a way for us to spend time together during these busy days. I usually request the day off from work (although I don’t tell them WHY I need the day off, ha ha) but today I’m working a half day. That’s okay! I’ll be home just as everyone else is getting started for the day, and we can head out for our bagels. Yesterday I did a long trail run while listening to the Christmas Countdown podcast. I listened to their “Top 5 Stocking Stuffers” episode, and was pleased to note that of their ten (each host had five items) four of them are already going in my kids’ stockings- protein bars, Pokemon cards, scratch-off lottery tickets, and of course, candy. Another topic they randomly touched on was: glitter, or no glitter? On wrapping paper, that is. They agreed that they like glitter if it’s embedded in the wrapping paper, but not if it comes loose and gets all over the house. WELL… Every year I wrap the “Santa” presents in special wrapping paper, which I buy secretly and is only used for those presents. I have very high standards for this paper- it can’t have words, or trucks (I don’t know why so many Christmas wrapping papers have pickup trucks with Christmas trees in the back) and it must be shiny and/or glittery. This year, I have a red paper which is shiny, a red and green striped which has embedded glitter, and… a very pretty cream-colored paper with silver, glittery Christmas trees… which dropped glitter EVERYWHERE. I wrapped presents in the bedroom, and there’s glitter in our bed, on the floor, on my face… once glitter is out there, you can never get rid of it. I can’t wait for the kids to open presents on Christmas, so the glitter can get all over the rest of the house. Well, at least it’s pretty. So Many Cookies, So Little Time. So far I’ve baked: Nicole’s ginger cookies, orange chocolate biscotti, orange cranberry icebox cookies, and “Santa’s trash” cookies, which are basically chocolate chip cookies with potato chips, pretzels, and sprinkles. I’ve run out of time for more baking before Christmas (I also made sugar cookies to be decorated on Christmas Eve) but I consider the week between Christmas and New Years to be a continuation of cookie baking season… so peanut butter balls will definitely be happening. We’re almost there! Christmas Eve is a day of entertaining guests for us, and then the big day…. where I collapse in a heap from exhaustion. I hope everyone is having a nice week, and if you’re celebrating, I hope you’re all ready for a wonderful Christmas. Happy Festivus!
Christmas-y Shenanigans
Lately I’ve been listening to a podcast called Christmas Countdown. At first I wasn’t sure how I felt about it- it’s sponsored by Hallmark and I’m not a big Hallmark fan- but it grew on me. Driving around while listening to the recent “Top 5 Christmas Smells” and “Top 5 Christmas Sounds” episodes put me in a festive mood. In addition to the countdowns, the hosts play games like “This or That?” Gift bags or wrapping paper? (wrapping paper definitely, although gift bags have their time and place.) Skating or sledding? (neither in Florida, but if I had to choose, sledding- because I’m less likely to break multiple bones.) Ham or Turkey? (neither- our Christmas dinner is lasagna.) Anyway, today at work my manager asked me if I wanted to put my name in for the “grab-bag present.” Thinking it was a Secret Santa situation, I said yes- but then I found out we’re supposed to get a generic gift, and then we’ll each pick one. Arg. That means I have to get a gift that would be appropriate for any of my coworkers, and that includes twenty-year-old women and sixty-year-old men. I was baffled… until I listened to the latest episode of Christmas Countdown. One of the hosts (I’ll admit I still can’t tell them apart) was talking about his recent trip to Marshalls. He said he had a list of things to get but was waylaid at the “random doohickey” display, which he described as an amazing assortment of gadgets that would be especially perfect for gift exchanges where the price range is $20-$25. AHA! I know where I’ll be heading to find my grab-bag gift. On the subject of work… remember this? I decided to give it one more try, and applied it today before going to work. Nope- same sweet, sickening smell. When I got to work I was talking to my manager (about the grab-bag, actually) when he got a strange look on his face. And then he said “What’s that smell?” I knew exactly what he was smelling, but I didn’t want to admit I was wearing “spiked eggnog” deodorant. Luckily one of my coworkers said “I used coconut body wash… do you think that’s it?” He looked uncertain but said “Well… maybe.” Ha ha… no, it wasn’t coconut… it was eggnog. That’s it- I’m throwing that deodorant away. So if you’ve been reading for a while you’ve probably heard me complain about our weather- specifically, that we haven’t had any cooldowns yet this year. Lately it’s been getting down to 60s at night but it’s still humid AF. I’ve been waiting impatiently for that first cold, refreshing blast of air from the north… well, look at THIS: 42 degrees on Christmas Day????? That would be a Christmas miracle! I told my son I’ll believe it when it actually happens, because we’ve had similar forecasts that never came true. My son said, “Well, if it does get down to 40 on Christmas, we’ll go crazy!’ I’m not exactly sure what “going crazy” would entail- opening the windows? Building a bonfire in the backyard? Stay tuned for the exciting conclusion- will it really get down to the 40s? What will we do to celebrate? And- will I find the perfect grab-bag gift at the Marshall’s doohickey table? We’ll find out soon.
Weekly Rundown- Start the Insanity!
Well, ACK! Christmas is a week from today, which means it’s now going to be one wild ride to the finish. This week started out normally, but as time went on adjustments were made. Thanks as always to Kim and Deborah for hosting the Weekly Rundown. Let’s see how this penultimate week went! Sunday 13 mile trail run! It was a very unusual day, because the trail looked like this for the whole run: I’m so used to bright, unrelenting sunlight, it was weird to be running through the fog. But I loved it. Monday I had four Caroline Girvan workouts left in the Iron Series, but the only one that was exclusively upper body was #30, the grand finale. It felt a little weird to do the last workout without completing the others first, but I didn’t want to do lower body right after a long run. This one was biceps, triceps, and core. Good workout! Tuesday This was the most lovely day we’ve had all year, weather-wise. It was 60 degrees! That’s almost down to the 50s!!! In a cruel twist of fate, all sorts of things prevented me from getting out for my run. Our cat threw up all over the Christmas tree skirt, and we got a notification from our bank about fraudulent charges on our card. I ended up having time for 3.5 miles before rushing back to get my daughter to school. Wednesday Gym day! I did a full body workout- squats, deadlifts (with dumbbells,) bench press, rows. The gym was more crowded than I would like- frankly, I’d prefer it if no one else was there while I’m putting 2.5 pound plates on the bar. But I got it done, and ended with abs on this torture device: Thursday I did a 4 mile run on very heavy legs. At night my daughter had a concert, AND MY SON CAME HOME! Hooray! He’ll be home for a whole month. Friday I was up late on Thursday night, so I made this my day off and was able to sleep until 7:30. Saturday 5 mile run! I had to get out early, but was treated to some nice Christmas lights. In the afternoon we started wrapping presents and put them under the tree- but we made sure to leave a spot for our cat, since it’s her favorite place to sleep. Sunday Switching things up! I decided to do my long run on Wednesday this week, since Sunday is Christmas Day. So on tap for today- the gym. I’ll be there right when they open at 8 am and am hoping it’s a little less crowded. No one goes to the gym at 8 am on Sunday, right? I guess I’ll find out. I have a little more shopping to do, a lot more wrapping, and more cookie baking. I know this week will fly by which makes me a little sad. In spite of all the busyness, I love it and don’t want it to end. Sigh! It’s the irony of Christmas. It’s stressful and crazy, and it all ends much too soon. All we can do is savor the insanity. How was your week? Are you ready for Christmas? Are you celebrating Hanukkah tonight? If so, Happy Hanukkah!
My One-Word Theme for 2023!
I chose my word for 2023 easily, about a month ago- it literally just jumped out at me. I was waiting to reveal it but on Wednesday Gretchen and Elizabeth revealed their words for 2023 on the Happier podcast, so I figured it’s time! First of all, last year’s word was “Start.” That turned out to be… pretty dumb. It sounded good in January, when I hit rock bottom (I had been battling a foot issue for months and then had Covid over Christmas) but by June I had forgotten all about it. This time, I have a word that I think will stay with me through the whole year, and that word is… Nourish. I’m really asking a lot from my body, and not treating it very well in return. No wonder my body seems like it hates me. I have some big goals coming up in 2023, and I’ll never reach them if I don’t take my eating and sleeping more seriously. Several weeks ago, I decided to drink a protein shake after hard workouts, and I noticed immediately that I was much less sore the next day. I used a random protein powder that my son left behind, and the brand is “UpNourish.” It struck me how little thought I’ve put into actually nourishing my body. I’ve always viewed “healthy” eating in terms of what I can take away- eliminating “bad” foods like gluten and sugar (well… sugar really is bad, but let’s not get into that right now.) I’m trying to shift my mindset from “What can I take away?” to “What am I nourishing my body with?” In addition to eating, I’m going to focus on nourishing my body with enough sleep, so that I can recover from workouts and build stronger muscles. My sleep has not been good lately for many reasons- but to start with, I’m going to make little changes like going to bed earlier (duh!) and eliminating caffeine later in the day. I’ll be doing a deeper dive into both these subjects next month, but the changes I’ve made already seem to be having a positive impact. 2023 is going to be a good one! Do you pick a theme for the year? Do you have one yet?