It might be time to get ready for Christmas and more in 7 Quick Takes

~1~

If you’re looking to read something written by someone who has every gift wrapped and placed beautifully under the tree, you are going to be disappointed. I do believe we will get the tree up before Christmas, and it will be beautiful. The cards will get mailed. And I will have gifts for everyone on my list. I might even have a list by then. I am far from ready, but I am OK with that.

The other day I pulled open a drawer in the kitchen and saw that we have a pristine bag of Easter grass. I had to laugh. We aren’t ready for Christmas, but Easter’s in the bag.

Through my unpreparedness, I have this inexplicable sense of peace. Or maybe it’s exhaustion. But I know Christmas will come, and all will be well.

~2~

We pulled out the hot glue gun the other night to fix something.

I wonder who invented hot glue and thought to put it in this marvelous tool that you can keep on hand for crafts and repairs.

Whenever we use it, I feel so accomplished.

Humans are such creative problem-solvers.

~3~

My friend Marie asked me to be godparent to her new baby earlier this fall while he was still on the way, and I was so excited for him to arrive. There is something special about praying for your godchild while he or she is still in utero.

He was born last weekend, on my son’s 12^th birthday, so my son and my newest godson are birthday buddies! They are also both born in the Chinese Year of Ox, 12 years apart. I’m so excited to meet him and to be there for his baptism. Being a godmother is one of the most incredible honors. I smile every time I think about him.

~4~

We had our cookie contest at work last week, and I came home with a holiday spatula as my prize for my Loyola-themed sugar cookies.

It’s not every day you win a cookie contest. I appreciate that everyone I have mentioned this to has not asked me how many bakers entered. Let’s just say that it was a small but competitive field, and all the cookies were decorative and delicious.

So, if you’re keeping track, I have baked cookies but not finished my shopping or sent a single card. My priorities might not be the same as yours.

~5~

The other day I walked into my bedroom and realized one of the boys had been relaxing on my bed. I felt a little bit like one of the Three Bears..

Still, it makes me happy that they are so completely at home here.

And it reminds me how much we have come to make use of every square inch of our house since the start of this whole pandemic time.

~6~

When I started grad school in the fall, I signed up for two classes thinking I would drop one if it felt like too much. With a full-time job and being a mother and wife and doing life, it was too much. That was clear early on, but I’m not good at dropping things. And the material is fascinating. By the time I should have dropped a class, I had finished so much of the coursework that I figured I should just keep going.

It all hit me pretty hard with the big final projects at the end of the semester, but I finally got through and turned in the last one this weekend. I feel so good that I made it. And I learned so much.

Now I can focus on Christmas. And, for the record, I made a real dinner at least once this week.

~7~

This week, my colleague Molly gave me a precious little stained-glass finch. I hung it on my kitchen window where I can admire it while I wash dishes. I have been thinking that becoming a bird person has been wonderful in almost every way, and I do like that when people see bird items, they think of me.

I enjoy gift-giving so much, but I always forget that people are going to give me gifts, too.

Enjoy these last days of Advent.

Copyright © 2021 Catholic Review Media

 Print