Random Thoughts: The Nightmare Before Christmas Edition

So much happened in the weeks leading up to Christmas, and I didn’t get to “talk” about any of it.

I usually try to keep the stress of the holidays minimal, and it helps that my faith keeps me focused on the reason for Christmas (i.e. birth of Christ, etc., etc.).

This year, though, the week leading up to Christmas was especially challenging.

December has been a little rough all-in-all, actually. Adjusting to life with a newborn has been… uh, I need a synonym for “rough” and/or “challenging” here.

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I didn’t get out much with the baby, excepting doctor appointments. And aside from one shopping trip for Dan’s Christmas gifts, I didn’t go out with all three children at all. And that trip was made out of pure necessity. And it was about as stressful as I thought it would be.

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In the weeks leading to Christmas, also, Dan’s grandmother, known around these parts as Nanny, went into decline. Two weeks before Christmas she had to be transported from the nursing home she was in to a hospital; she hung on for another week, long enough for us to introduce her to Michael. And then the Monday before Christmas she died.

That was a hard week, obviously. Nanny had not had an easy life, but she was well-loved and she had loved well. Three of her four grandchildren spoke at the funeral, and then four of them plus myself and my SIL’s husband were pall bearers.

And then it was two days before Christmas. We did a lot of last minute shopping and wrapping. Decorating went by the wayside, but the kids and I did make chocolate chip cookies for Santa (and to share Christmas day).

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Christmas was nice, actually, low-key. The children did well, although they squabbled about “sharing”. We got Flora a DSi, and Kate Zhu-Zhu Pets. I was just happy they were happy — they were even thrilled with their stocking stuffers (band-aids, hand lotion, and candy). Christmas was just fun for them.

Michael seemed pretty oblivious.

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Anyway, it was a stressful week. I’m having some holiday let-down issues, as well as some baby blues this week. But more on that later. This post has been disjointed enough!