Deck the halls...

Frozen fog on the mountain behind my house

I filled my feeders that morning, the chickadees were happy!

Hunter, deep in baseball lore

a small sampling of my favorite people

picking just the right tree, it was Very Cold that day!

So we're at that mid-point of the holidays.( Anyone who says they're over at Christmas does not know my family!) Two days of Christmas around here, always the big gift -opening on Eve, to the tune of about 32 people, and a Nana who insists on buys lots of ( admittedly wonderful) gifts for everyone. Of course, there is nothing that you can get for her. I really prefer the next morning at our house, jusat the small thing we got for each other, but chosen with great care, because if you're only going to get/make a few things, they had better be good. I do like to give pictures out as gifts, all year I'll chase the little kids around with my camera, set to black and white. There is always one that jumps out at me. Lots of baking this year as well. As I was in school right up to the week before, there wasen't much room in my head for holiday stuff. This was actually one of the more low stress holidays for me. I just realized that whatever I did would be enough. Christmas cards? Not this year. sewing projects? only two pairs of jammie pants for my boys. The list of what I wanted to do was a bit more involved than what I really got done. That's alright. Too many Christmases have been spent with tears and yelling, frayed nerves and tight shoulders from trying to "do it all", and still be happy. If there are people out there who can do it all, more power to them. I am not one. Oh, I suppose if I didn't have a job, and homework, and kids who play JV basketball, and ice skate, then sure I could. But in real life, not so much. I've learned that it is really okay to cut myself a little slack. It took a looong time to sink in, but now its lodged in my brain, and there it will stay. As far as I am concerned, there is no bad time to get gifts, so if my handmade dolls do not get to my sisters till February, that's fine. In fact, it might be just the thing to perk up their day. That always works for me.