Santa's Workshop

As evidenced by my beautiful Christmas cactus, Christmas is coming! I'm quite thrilled with (and proud of) its flowers this year. It is the best bloom since I've had it. Interestingly, the side of the plant that has the most blooms is the side that was facing the window. I am not sure if this is because of the Easterly sunshine, or because that side was more exposed to the chilly late-October nights. It is the chilliness that makes the cactus bloom. Either way, I turned that side toward the living room so we could enjoy its beauty.




For the past couple of months, I have been working on Christmas presents. I am almost done with my mom's toe-up socks, and my grandmother's Quilted Diamond Vest. But this morning, as I sat and listed to Wait Wait Don't Tell Me and APHC, I finished my mother-in-law's slippers. I embellished one with a flower - and will do the same for the second one!


This Thanksgiving and Christmas are going to be tricky ones. Dennis's family now lives just south of Boston. Last year, on Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve, we stayed at their house until late in the night, just visiting and watching Christmas movies, because they only lived 10 m inutes away. This year will require a little bit more logistical planning. It's just a blessing that they didn't move farther away! Our friends all have their own families, and my dad has to work on Christmas Eve. It may be a Christmas of new traditions...

As my semester draws to a close, I am trying to draw on the peacefulness and excitement that the holidays always bring me. There's a few more hard weeks of paper-writing and cantankerous professors. But at the end, there will be pumpkin cheese cake and Christmas cookies, trees and garland, and the Christmas lights that I love so much.

I started Christmas shopping this week (eeek!), and am planning on making as much as I can. Its going to be a simple Christmas. Back to Santa's workshop to hopefully finish my projects in time!