Christmas Letter

So, I finally came up with a clever idea for this year's Christmas letter - the top 10 reasons why we're to busy to write a Christmas letter this year. I came downstairs to get started and what did I find? Three empty jars of Christmas sprinkles and a huge sprinkly, colored sugary mess in the kitchen. So, here's a few of the real reasons why I can't seem to get the letter done:

1. Cleaning up messes. As soon as I get something cleaned up, the kids discover that it's much more fun to play in a clean room than a messy one. This leads to another messy room.

2. Trying to Christmas shop with the kids in tow. Even if I manage to grab something off the shelf, hide it in my coat in the cart and distract everyone at the checkout counter, I am foiled by the clerk who says, "Is this for you little boy?" Hasty lies and tears soon follow (and that's just from me.)

3. Going to the gym takes up four mornings a week and I have yet to lose a single pound since Spencer was born. I think I need a cookie.

4. Mark is home about 26 hours a week, during which time he is either sleeping, on the phone or gone who knows where. This leads to me having to do everything - Christmas shopping, disciplining, car repairs, etc.

5. Christmas decorating. There's so much stuff to drag out every year that I'll just have to clean up in a month anyway. Ever since I hung the outdoor Christmas lights in the freezing cold, standing on a shaky ladder while eight months pregnant, I swore that I would never do it again. Mark and the kids complain that the neighbors must think that we're Jewish but I refuse to give in.

6. I've just started my 89th book of the year. It's book #10 of The Australians and it's about Australians in Africa. Can it be any more awesome?

7. It's not officially the Christmas season until the Chipmunks are on the radio. They haven't been played so far but luckily I have the Chipmunk Christmas album on CD, tape and LP. I think I'm covered.