Time flies when you are having fun and I guess, even when you aren’t. It has been quite a number of days since I last wrote and it is because of many things, of which side tracked is probably the biggest one. Also, I blog best in the morning and lately I had to get Jacinta’s, Sean’s, Michael’s, Joe’s and Peter’s gifts and their family gifts bought, wrapped and shipped, and could not forget my little buddy Jonathan and his mother. So each morning I got up and headed to the post office with another box. They have all arrived safely and now I am reaping the benefit of being all done. I never was one that had everything done. Christmas eve was always a flurry of activity…still getting last minute things, wrapping, baking cookies, children and the dog bouncing off the walls with excitement, but that was Christmas to me. I’ll never forget when Joe was in High School and had a very steady girlfriend. My house was always a bit chaotic and I never worried if things were out of place, but his girlfriend’s home was beautiful, immaculate, decorated weeks before, cookies were all perfectly round, same size…her home could have been a page from Good Housekeeping. I always felt I could do better in that department but I guess never worried enough to actually do it. This one Christmas eve she asked me if she could come and help me. I said sure, but felt bad that a 17 year old would give up time with friends to help me do things her Mother had done weeks before. I really felt guilty and kept telling her to go be with your friends.   Instead, she asked if her friends could come too. It seemed important to her so I said sure, but really felt awful that she was recruiting others to help me. They came, we wrapped, we baked, we sang Christmas caroles as flour flew around the kitchen and when they were leaving I heard her say, I told you..isn’t it just like Christmas here? Oh boy, that is all I had to hear, the next year I was back up to my old tricks again with one exception, no guilt and my chaos had a name… it was Christmas spirit. So my Christmas spirit was last week as I scurried to get everything done. Now, my feet are up and  the packages are arriving, and now I’m the one counting the days until I can open them.  Only two more days