I got sick the week before Christmas. Just like I did the week before Thanksgiving (is there a theme here??). And not just a little sick like I did before Thanksgiving, but cough, fever, stuffy-head, aches, etc. (I sound like a commercial..)

It soooo threw me off. It all went downhill after that. For the final three days before Christmas, J and I were scrambling to catch up (while I’m still sick mind you); last minute food shopping, last minute gift shopping, racing to people’s houses to deliver gifts, meeting up with friends in town for dinner (that was fun at least), then hosting Christmas for my family at our house.

In the middle of that, my job had a pretty major crisis a couple days before Christmas. That took a full day out of the equation since I worked from 6 AM till about 9 PM that day.

Christmas eve we ordered pizza and opened the gifts from each other, watched Polar Express together, then sent the kids to bed. They couldn’t sleep so J and I watched Mr. and Mrs Smith waiting for them to finally conk out.

We got to bed around 2:30 AM Christmas eve/morning. At 4 AM there was massive (but quick) wind storm that woke up my kids who promptly spent the next 3 hours running, giggling, and whispering up and down the hall outside our bedroom waiting for the clock to turn 7 AM — The time we agreed they could wake us up. The made it till 6:52 AM actually. They woke us up with their own version of Jingle Bells (”Oh what fun it is to open presents on Christmas day!”) After we were done opening presents from Santa, J and I crashed on the couch. The idea was we’d take a “quick nap”. We slept 3.5 hours! ACK! I still had a huge meal to prepare.

As I was about to prepare the meal, I discovered we had forgotten a few vital ingredients for our menu. Last year we forgot stuff too but it wasn’t a big deal because some stores were actually open. Not this year. J drove all over and found nothing open. Nada. So I had to improvise.

If all that wasn’t crazy enough, the turkey came without a neck. What kind of turkey comes without a NECK?? And it wasn’t a cheap turkey. It was a “cage-free” organic one… with no neck. And since it was super expensive, non-frozen, organic, AND cage-free….

… it didn’t come with one of those little popup dealies that lets you know when it’s done, either. So I had to use a meat thermometer. Well I didn’t get it in just right because after only two hours according to the thermometer, the turkey was about to blow up it was so done. I got a second opinion from my mom who said it must be done, but since it was done early we had to make a mad dash to get everything else prepared. Once we accomplished that, we went to carve the turkey and guess what?? IT WASN’T DONE. So back into the oven that expensive-organic-non-frozen-cage-free-no-popup-dealie-no-neck-turkey went. At that point I cried. Not so much out of frustration, but just at the irony of it all. And I needed the release.

I had a good Christmas despite it all. It was spent with family and that’s what really matters. At the same time, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit relieved it’s over.

I hope YOU had a wonderful Christmas and have a very Happy New Year! And if you don’t celebrate Christmas (or New Year), I hope you had/have a very happy holiday season!