And what happened then? Well, in Whoville they say...

...That the Grinch's small heart grew three sizes that day!

Yeah, I'm kinda Grinchy around this time of year. I used to enjoy giving gifts and imagining how much fun the recipient would have with them. But then, that one Christmas it was made clear that Mrs. NP believed that she was actually the intended recipient of any gift that was given to her kids, since the gift would have to reside in HER house. And for some reason she took offense to the fact that I'd chosen a cool gift that her kid would have liked, and promptly began complaining about said cool gift and the small pieces therein (nothing that a normal parent couldn't handle, or at least make their kids clean it up themselves, sheesh) well, then I decided, fine. I can certainly choose gifts with YOU in mind instead of your kids. Only I'll choose them with the goal of making you suffer instead of making your kids happy.

And I enjoy Christmas much differently now. I can honestly say that Mrs. NP took away the joy I used to find in giving fun, thoughtful gifts and replaced it with the joy I find in seeking out tacky, annoying, impractical and thoughtless gifts. I've given a Lisa Frank tattoo studio as a gift, for example. See how much fun I'm having with it?

So I was all set to give her the Furry Pink Puke scarf, knowing full well that it would be worn often and cherished in all its tackiness. For some reason, the NP's sense of what's tacky is like, nonexistent. But then, when I was gathering gifts to give to a single mom and her kids, I thought ya know, a 10-year-old girl would probably really dig this. So I gave it away, thusly denying myself the fun I would have had watching my heinous handiwork on display. Oh well. And I threw in another scarf for the mom, one I'd planned to keep for myself, since it was pretty cool. I went and splurged a bit on some Noro Silk Garden to replace it.

So is my Grinchiness melting away? Nah. It's just the calm before the storm. I've been so busy working on my sister's wedding that I haven't even given any thought to Christmas yet, really. I haven't wrapped anything or baked anything or sent even one Christmas card (meanwhile I've gotten one from the NP's with about 80 pictures of their kids in it). Tomorrow night is the family Christmas fiesta at hubby's aunt's house. I'm supposed to take an appetizer. Now, I'm someone who bakes and doesn't buy food to take to a family event. I even look for fun, interesting recipes to try. The NP's buy. That bugs me.

I think I'm entitled to a wee bit o' Grinchiness. When most people get to breathe a huge sigh of relief after Christmas is over, my stress is just beginning. Monday, my parents arrive. Tuesday is the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner, and I'm supposed to have a Very Clever slide presentation put together. That, my friends, was a labor of LOVE. Then of course Wednesday evening is the Wedding Extravaganza, and Thursday is Tommy's birthday party. I got WAY too much goin'. I need to finish typing up the place cards. Mom asked me if I had finished my Wedding Toast. I said, um, NO. I really had to draw the line. I've done enough. And trust me, they probably won't want me talking that day. I'm anticipating Drama-a-plenty.