How It Started...

I'll be honest...I started a post a couple days before Christmas and in true Christmas form, I never got back to it.  So...I'm going to work what I can of that into this.  

The week or so leading up to Christmas ended up a bit stressful due to both holiday and non-holiday issues.  They ranged from the usual lengthy holiday to-do list to COVID complications.  We still tried to make the best of it, though.  Despite being nearly done shopping (but not quite) for a while, as of last weekend I had done zero wrapping and had no idea what I was doing for food.  I was still working through those last few gift decisions, but Saturday ended up being a pretty busy day so I wasn't solving much of it then.  Oh, but before I get to that, I never got a chance to post the final product of my painted nativity from my weekend with Heather.  She had dropped it off to my parents the first weekend of December when we stuck close to home after our Thanksgiving COVID exposure, and I picked it up the following weekend when my mom and I went to the two Christmas markets in Buffalo (plus a really cool craft/antique co-op near their house).  I'm really happy with how it turned out--not bad for a first time, anyway.  

Last weekend we got a chance to go to two college basketball games in Buffalo.  The catch was that Craig was on the road in Albany, and then--of course--the weather got sketchy for the first time in ages!  But we went and had a wonderful time.  We made it for the second half of the Niagara University vs. UAlbany game, grabbed an arena snack in between, and then watched an intense UB vs. Canisius game.  Canisius led most of the game, lost the lead in the 4th, and then retook it with 10 seconds to go and barely held on for the upset win!  I think Jacob really enjoyed seeing that level of play, and we ended up having a really great day.

The week ended up being busy with work, Jacob's practices, and final prep.  Even still, Carter and I finally got around to doing the gingerbread house we bought a few weeks back.  It turned out pretty good.  I did most of the icing application and he provided some placement and additional art direction.  We supplemented with a few leftover Halloween candies and had fun with it.  It's been a nice little snacking source ever since.  Per Facebook, apparently we're in the minority who eat them!

The front

The back

The roof

Wednesday was my long-awaited last day of work, and it ended up being crazier than expected.  The previous night I went to Kohl's to pick up pants I ordered for Jacob and find some pajamas for our sister-in-law.  I found some pajamas but had my eye on another pair they didn't have in her size.  When I got home, I realized the pants for Jacob looked like the wrong ones (they were a light gray instead of a dark gray), so I decided to place an order for those at the only other store that had them, a half hour away.  In the process I found the other pajamas I wanted to get in stock, so I added those to the pick-up order.  Well, of course it started randomly snowing on Wednesday just before I was supposed to leave to get Jacob from practice and go the extra 10 minutes beyond to pick up my order.  This was nothing like the snow we'd had that barely stuck--it was hardcore lake effect.  It didn't really impact the drive out, but by the time we picked up Carter on the way back, my car had a hard time getting moving at a green light when going uphill!  We ended up with about four inches by the following morning, despite not having seen anything about snow in the forecast!  To make matters worse, the pants I picked up ended up being the same ones I had--apparently the website photo is just wrong--and the pajamas ended up having terrible reviews (the material pilled and possibly bled onto sheets) so I ended up keeping the first pair and returning the second ones.  And Jacob ended up liking the pants, and our sister-in-law liked the PJs, so all's well that ends well.  Oh, and did I mention I bought myself a soft fleecy pair in the process?  Merry Christmas to me!

I started my wrapping early in the week and did a marathon session one night, a shorter session the next night, and had a few things left for Thursday.  Since Thursday was my one day off before our Christmas really got started, I had basically saved way too much for that day--wrapping, cookie baking, grocery shopping, packing--plus unplanned shoveling--but managed to work through it pretty decently, even if all the last minute food shopping and prep did stress me out as usual.  I always have to do cinnamon rolls the night before our gift opening, and then inevitably spend most of the rest of gift opening morning making whatever I'm taking for Christmas potlucks.  It always makes us get on the road later than planned, but there just isn't much I can do far ahead ahead!  But at least I got some cookies done in the morning and had a plan for the rest of the food.  Having to make 6pm church (and try to do it in time to sit in the church itself, rather than the gym) left us a little rushed after practice, but we made it work.  Church was nice--it was lovely to be back in person and have the traditional candlelight Silent Night at the end.  I missed that last year, for sure.  I can't say it was particularly comfortable sitting among all those people, even masked, but it was nice.

In the midst of all the preparations, there were a couple things really nagging me throughout the week, and both had to do with COVID.  

Around midweek, it was announced as part of the state vaccine mandate means that the arena where the Amerks and Knighthawks play is now banning kids 5-11 who can't prove at least one shot of the vaccine.  As a side note, it's a good thing Carter is getting his second this week because our doctor keeps the card after the first shot, so we have no proof for him currently.  Regardless, people were up in arms, and it was frustrating to watch the negative comments pour in.  In this case, even I am frustrated.  First, I understand people's hesitance to get kids vaccinated.  It's new and they're not in as much danger.  I don't blame people for wanting to wait it out a bit.  I know plenty of adults who are vaccinated but are holding off on their kids.  Second, people really enjoy sports events and concerts as a family, and now that won't be possible for many.  Sports teams in particular, but really many events, are already struggling to get people to buy tickets, and now lots of families aren't even eligible to go because they're trying to be cautious with their kids.  It makes me worry for the Knighthawks' future, honestly, in part because it sounds like their refund policies aren't exactly accommodating, which is only going to anger people further.  Third, it's pretty well documented at this point that vaccinated people can catch and spread the virus, maybe as well as unvaccinated folks.  Delta started the trend and omicron has made it basically the norm, or so statistics seem to indicate.  Omicron has spread like crazy and areas with it are exploding in cases--though, less so as of now with hospitalizations or deaths.  Let's hope it stays that way.  But clearly the vaccine is doing more to protect individuals than the greater good it once contributed to.  I know in the grand scheme of things the more people that are vaccinated means fewer cases, fewer complications, maybe less transmission to some degree, and hopefully less of a chance for another variant, BUT...aside from some sue-happy weirdo who might sue a place for providing the setting in which to readily catch COVID, how an individual fares with their COVID infection isn't really a concern for places like arenas.  So if even vaccinated people are readily spreading it (as college campuses make clear), your event has super-spreader potential regardless.  Why keep pissing people off and making them more vaccine-resistant for a modest, maybe tiny, difference in safety?  I just don't get it, and if I don't get it despite my beliefs, there's zero hope for about 40% of the population.  It just added to this whole unsettled feeling right now, where so many people are angry and there's so little hope for anyone coming together for the common good.

My other major struggle was my extended family gathering.  Craig's had gotten canceled, which was sad but not unexpected.  It was in a small space with a lot of little kids, and it would definitely feel a little scary.  My family's scenario was much the same, but my uncle assured everyone it was still happening, and I was so incredibly torn.  On one hand, I understood my uncle's frustration with not being able to gather as a family, either last Christmas or this Thanksgiving.  On the other, it would be a complete tragedy if someone passed away because cases were spread at the party.  He encouraged and offered testing, which I appreciated, but it took some convincing for me to even impart to my parents that they should test before the festivities since they went to three (mostly unmasked) parties and a concert in the previous week or so.  I think people have gotten too trustworthy of the vaccine and that's going to lead to a major spike in cases over the next week or two, especially now that omicron is here locally.  Oddly, with hospitalizations being less likely with omicron, I almost found myself wishing that if COVID did find its way into the party, it would be omicron--maybe more cases, but all probably less severe.  Anyway, Craig did not want to go, and I agonized all week.  On one hand, it felt unsafe.  On the other, I knew I couldn't stop my parents from going, and they were my biggest worry.  Morbidly, I worried that if they did get it and something terrible happened, I'd regret that I wasn't there for that last family Christmas party.  It was a terrible thought, but that's how awful this whole thing is.  Even by the time I was doing my grocery shopping Thursday I was still so torn that I was trying to think of a last minute dish I could bring just in case I decided to go.  The decision really did put a damper on everything.

Thankfully, I was able to get my wrapping done on Thursday, along with much of the other straggler to-dos, and while Christmas Eve Eve (our Christmas Eve) still wasn't exactly stress-free, I was content enough with how everything had gone leading up.  I wish I could say the same for Christmas Eve, but that's a story for another post!