My holiday, thus far, has been relatively uneventful and enjoyable. I liked spending time with my family more this than in years past. I was not pleased to find myself scheduled for a 5 am shift in retail hell the following morning, but it was over with quickly and gave me an excuse to go to bed early on Christmas rather than battling the movie crowds, as is our usual plan. Our only major issue was with our own nuclear family health. I came down with a wicked case of bronchitis right as we were wrapping up our annual Christmas party (the 10th) and spent most of that week on the sofa. I'm still barking up the occassional phlegm ball but I feel much better. I only have the lethargy left over from weeks of reclining. Thursday prior to Christmas, both the Boy and the Husband hurt their backs. The Boy injury was only minor soreness and as it was due to his own stupidity ( sledding down the deck stairs ) I gave him pain relievers and the evil eye. The Husband, on the other hand, slipped on the ice while walking the dog and injured his back in a way that would not allow him to lift his right leg for a few days without extreme pain. He wouldn't go to a doctor - even though he could get free emergency care through his work - insisting that it would be okay in a few days. Which it was, but tends to rebound now and then. Even with his injury, he attended to Christmas Eve dinner so that I could rest.

The rest of the week - my week off from work - has gone by in a blur. I did some shopping and some crafting and some work around the house but, honestly, I don't think I'd complain if someone gave me another week off. (Except for the no money part. That part sucks.) One thing I've been doing is eating too much. I seem to have lost all ability to manage that part of my life these last couple of weeks. I just need to get back into my routine, I guess, and that will make everything easier. ( But not yet. Just give me a couple more days.)

We're in the process of dismantling Christmas. The Husband says this makes him melancholy. I, on the other hand, find the holiday decorations start to lose their charm right around the dinner hour on Christmas night. I'm all "out with the old; in with the new". Bring on the New Year. Fresh starts and open horizons. A blank canvas. A chance to make corrections. A few years back, Husband and I would make our resolutions ("Annual Objectives" he liked to call them) and post them on the refridgerator so that we could look at them every day. This worked well for him right up until the year his parents both died and he found out he wasn't really able to keep up with everything. Now he tends to avoid such things and I, instead, decide alone what changes I wish to make in the upcoming year. I haven't yet narrowed down my list of qualities I'd like to acquire. I know one thing is to start being more diligent with regard to thank you notes. I've not ever been very good at sending them and it always makes me feel so nice to receive one. Maybe I'll have two sets of resolutions, one for me personally and one for the family as whole. We'll see. I have several hours to ponder the situation.

As usual, we have no hot New Year's Eve plans. We rarely go out unless it's to a friend's house and even then we like to tie things up early. And, since I'll be up early again tomorrow to head into job number two, I guess I'll more than likely pass the end of this year sleeping. The Boy used to want to make a big deal of the ball dropping, but lately he's not even that into celebrating. If you are celebrating, please be safe and have a Happy New Year!