I was so dreading Christmas this year, until a few things happened that really gave me a wakeup call.

     Week before last, there was a Christmas party.  It’s been a long time since a reasonable representation of Pirates have been together in my presence.  We were sadly missing a few who had other obligations, especially with it being mid-week and so close to Christmas, but hopefully we can all do something again sooner than later.
     Of course, the Wildcat jumped right in, and came up swimming.  Pirates are loud, Pirates are fun, and she’d already heard too many stories to pass up the opportunity to see us together.  It’s not that I had anything against the Pirates, but I was dead tired and trying to get out of going.  Fortunately, she was there to force me to get up and get out.

     The next week, I faltered quite a bit, myself.  Responsibilities and angst fell pretty heavy on me.  We’ve had more than a few heart-to-hearts over the last week, and she’s really gone out of her way to be with me and help us get through it together.

     Thursday night was Zacque’s combination Birthday and Family Christmas dinner since they’ll all be out of town for the Holidays.  We busted it to get to Knoxville in time, and had an great night out.
     I’d been looking for Zacque’s present for the better part of a year.  That’s just one of the things the Wildcat’s good for — if it hadn’t been for her, I never would have found it, yet, here it was, with days to spare!

     By Friday, it suddenly occurred to the roommate and I that we weren’t going to be able to do anything together for Christmas.  Thus, we decided, at the Zero Hour (which, in this apartment, is 3PM) to go ahead and do Christmas dinner on Saturday so that we could all be together.
     Despite having obligations of her own to attend to, the Wildcat decided to stay a couple of extra days and have our Christmas dinner and gift exchange a few days early.

     From 12PM to 9PM on Saturday, we frantically prepared a Christmas feast suitable for an army — a 13-pound turkey, dressing, mashed potatos, green beans, cole slaw, potato salad, gravy, pecan pie, peanut butter cake, and egg nog.
     We made a short trip to visit old friends down the road, exchanged gifts, hugged each other, and came back to eat.
     And despite being a last minute dash and a crazy amount of cooking in a small kitchen without much space, taking off for forty-five minutes to see friends, and coming back to eat before the cat decided to sniff everything on the counter, it really, really felt like Christmas.  
     I’m happy that the cat doesn’t actually eat human food (just sniffs it), and the Bumpuses don’t live next door with their damn dogs…

     Certainly, I know that there are people who are gonna get left out this year.  They’re not going to hear from me, for various reasons, time constraints and geography.
     I didn’t get Christmas cards out, no mailings whatsoever, and a there were a lot of other things I really meant to get done.  Some people, I just forgot because I’ve been running around like an Asshat trying to get everything done that needed to be done.

     We’re all guilty of putting ourselves under way too much stress during the Holidays.  Whenever you’re stressing that you weren’t able to be where you wanted to be, didn’t find the perfect gift, didn’t have time to get your cards out, there are only two things to remember.

     The first thing is…
     You cannot possibly get to everyone you know and love.  Sometimes all it takes is a thought and a prayer.

     The second and most important thing is…
     Christmas is about Love and Compassion.  Those are the two greatest gifts we can possibly give — or get.

(Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IjyKEx0pio)

     As for my Wildcat, there is nothing like watching in awe as the woman you love perks up and takes charge, makes executive decisions and gets things done when you’re having nothing short of a crisis.  What she has done for me over the last week has turned this into the best Christmas I’ve ever had. 
     Tomorrow morning, I’ll be heading up to spend the rest of the day with her family and doing the typical things: cooking, exchanging gifts, laughing together.  And I’m excited to spend more time with her, to be around family.

     Merry Christmas, everyone.

     Be safe.