Christmas Re-Run

I call this blog post "Nobody Plans A Sucky Christmas". I wrote it last year, and got more emails than from any other blog post. So this year, I'm posting it again -- a week earlier -- with a new picture of Lillian....

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Christmas is a holiday that starts off with all the best intentions.

It's about a loving God -- and sharing time and gifts with your family and friends. What can go wrong, eh?

One of my best 2012 moments -- me and Lillian at the Christmas play at St. Ambrose...

Obviously -- there are a million ways Christmas can go wrong. It seems to me the biggest problem is our own unrealistic expectations. The trouble starts as soon as you fall in love with that picture in your head -- the beautiful table, the perfectly decorated Christmas tree, the delicious prime rib roast, the thoughtful conversations with smiling family members...

We've all been there. No matter how well you plan it -- somebody is going to be a no-show. Or arrive two hours late. Or start an argument. The tree will fall over. The roast will be overcooked, the turkey will be raw or the gravy will be lumpy.  Maybe the conversation takes a turn towards politics. Ugh... Or your handmade quilt is tossed on the floor and the dog takes a nap on it.  The kids will start fighting. Or -- worse yet -- they don't talk to anybody because they cannot stop TEXTING.

Any one of these thing happen -- and BOOM -- in the blink of an eye -- your Christmas goes from Miracle on 34th Street to Nightmare on Elm Street...

Hey -- YOU ARE NOT ALONE. Every woman I know has been there.

BUT THESE ARE YOUR PEOPLE...

Forgive them. Listen to them -- no matter how much you might disagree or take exception to what they are saying. Try to see it from their point of view. Realize that the food is NOT THE POINT...and the truth is -- nobody cares about, nor will they remember how your bathroom was decorated or how perfect the Christmas divinity turned out...

The memory that lasts for a lifetime is always the same -- it's about THE WAY YOU MADE THEM FEEL. And maybe this year -- Christmas is the only chance you will have...

THESE ARE YOUR PEOPLE.

So your job is simple. No matter what else happens at Christmas -- your sole job is to make sure they know this one thing.

They are loved by you...

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P.S. For the next coupla weeks, the posts on this blog will be sporadic. Some of my people need a little extra taking care of...you know how it is.

If I'm doing it right -- I will be TOO BUSY LIVING MY LIFE TO WRITE ABOUT IT...

Although, I am kinda excited about my 2013 Christmas Dress -- it has a long black velvet (mostly) skirt -- there are some dancing flamingos.  And -- oh -- there's also a stripe of zebra -- and a reindeer on a treadmill..

 And HEY -- NOBODY COULD MAKE THIS UP, EH??

Well -- now you have to keep checking back just in case I post a picture, right? 

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P.S. There will be no nativity scene in Washington D.C. this year due to the shortage of wise men. We only needed 3. (The search for a virgin continues, however.)