Although it feels like work and life are, at times, working hard against my holiday spirit endeavors, I'm managing to maintain a little. A progress check to behold:
Boxwood wreath from Ann Arbor Farmer's Market, wrapped hastily in years-old ribbon and garland: check. (Total holiday spirit time investment: 12 minutes.)
Four-foot cheapie fake silver tinsel tree from Target, pre-lit for us extra-lazy folk: check. (Total holiday spirit time investment: 30 minutes, not including drive time to pick up the damn thing after the website postponed my order shipping until January 8, which begs the question, why would ANYONE need a Christmas tree delivered January 8?)
Pottery bowl filled with whatever ornaments were in the plastic tote, leftover from whenever we last put up a tree 700 years ago, to pass as holiday centerpiece: check. (Total holiday spirit time investment: 6 minutes.)
Christmas cards addressed and sent -- well, MOST of them addressed and sent -- complete with A-dorable knitting themed holiday stamps: check. (Total holiday spirit time investment: one Law & Order SUV episode.)
A flock of hand made embroidered birdy ornaments, some for our tree, some for gifts: check. (Total holiday spirit time investment: several movies and TV shows.)
Old stockings dug out and new stockings sewn, hung by the chimney if not with care, then with minimal attention: check. (Total holiday spirit time investment: you don't want to know; sewing cuffs on stockings was the bane of my existence.)
Not to mention, I have most of my Christmas shopping done! Which is all good, as we head to DC tomorrow where I will spend the week mostly hibernating and finishing up the writing for my MFA application. That puts us back in town on the 18th -- just enough time to actually enjoy, worry free, some of the aforementioned holiday spirit.