Christmas Eve

So, it's Christmas Eve at about 8:30 am and I'm the only that's awake. It's kind of nice. I do still have a couple of presents to wrap and one to retrieve from the neighbors sometime later today. It was too big to bring in the house and keep it a secret, so our neighbors were kind enough to hold on to it for us. (I'd tell you what it is, but I'm worried the recipient may read this, so I'll tell you after Christmas.)

I'm taking time off for a few days after the holidays and not headed back to work until Jan. 7. We've gotten some help buying a house in the area and our "D-Day" for moving is January 11. So, I'll be spending some time packing. I haven't done ANY yet, but really just wanted to get through Christmas before I went too crazy. :) So, I'm taking a few more days off after the 7th to get through moving. I'll post pictures of the house after we get in there. We should get possession of the house on the 31st. When we get in there, we need to paint a couple of rooms and have new carpet installed in 2 of the bedrooms. We want to do that before all the furniture moves in. It's an older house, but the previous owner did lots of updates and it's in good condition. Plus, it's got way more room and they've got an above-ground pool. Maranda is happy about that. And, there's still room for her trampoline. (If you're interested in purchasing a house in Lincoln, we've still got one to sell there.)

This is the first Christmas where everyone in the house (except Mickey, but the dog doesn't really count) is aware that there isn't a Santa Claus other than the role we play for each other. And, I have to say, it takes a little bit of the fun out of Christmas. Maranda wants to know why all the gifts aren't just under the tree now and I'm insistent that our gifts aren't getting put under the tree until "Santa" comes after she goes to bed tonight. She's also been a little disappointed because as she gets older, she's got fewer gifts from others to unwrap. On the plus side, she's received a lot more money than she ever has before. But, I think she wanted more stuff to unwrap. I'll have to report back after we open gifts tomorrow to see how she likes it.

I'll try to get online and post updates more often. I haven't been too good about that this fall. In the meantime, Merry Christmas to everyone!