My Christmas To-Do List

Hello my little sugar plums! I hope you all are ready for whatever kind of Christmas you want most:

• All the bells and whistles with lots of presents


• A spiritual and inspiring day to celebrate life in mid-winter


• A sky-clad dance around the burning yule log


• A long sob and a tall Long Island ice tea

I'm gearing up for a special event myself; I'm hosting my Dad's side of the family for Christmas. On Sunday, I'll have 13 people in my little house. It's been a bit of a logistical struggle. My house isn't exactly palatial. I actually don't have a dining room, so having a meal has proven to be a bit of tricky business.

But Doc's been a real trooper and the kids have started to help out too. Last weekend we got the basement, kitchen and living room standing tall. Last night we got Riley's room spiffed up and we got started in Lucy's room and our room. Lucy has been a big help since she is willing to give up most of her toys to charity. We actually had to go through her box and put stuff back! Riley is very sentimental and reluctant to part with much of anything. To clear her clutter, we'll be bagging it up and putting it in the basement so she can still get to it if she wants.

So, what we do we have left to do before Sunday?

• Finish cleaning our room


• Finish cleaning Lucy's room


• Clean front bathroom


• Clean back bathroom


• Magic-erase the walls (just to take the crayon off of it, not remove the walls entirely)


• Go grocery shopping


• bake cookies


• prepare large batch of mac and chees for the vegetarians


• Do a final number-puzzle shuffle to maximize room in the kitchen


• Set up a table in the basement for people to eat at (the basement is finished so they won't be eating in a cave...ooh...maybe I should get some candles to warm it up down there!)

Everything else can be done on the day of the party, such as preparing the roast and if I'm feeling lucky the Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna Roll-ups with Gorgonzola Cream Sauce. Doc thninks we'll be spending Christmas day cleaning, but I think we'll be fine. We got a lot done yesterday and I think I can knock out the bedrooms and the bathrooms tonight.

The rest is gravy.

Anyhoo...We're busy and happy and everyone seems to be playing on the same team. It's not too cold out and January still doesn't seem like a reality yet. But when winter finally does heft herself up and plop down on our heads, we'll find a way to remember that spring is just around the corner. Until then, we can enjoy our de-clutterfied home, play with our toys and laugh our heads off.

Merry Christmas to you. Hugs and kisses!

Love,

Flannery