Turkey of a day

I'm having a bad case of the holiday heeby-jeebies, and while I'm sure it will pass, I'm thisclose to a Holiday freak out.

Thanksgiving, we'll be feasting with my Aunt, who is graciously cooking the meal, and didn't mind at all when I called and asked her if she was up to our visiting this year. We'll have plenty to talk about since our jobs are now similar (fund-raising) and she has a lot of stuff planned for us to do during our visit. I love the visiting, but the getting ready is nerve-wracking. I didn't get on the Best Cat Sitter Ever's schedule in time, so the dogs and one cat are going to the vet's kennel. Bill and I have been juggling vet visits, making sure that medicines for our geriatric pets are in order, and arranging care for the one cat who will stay at the house. I'm certain that Allie is going to nip and/or bite a tech at the kennel, and I'm hoping that Loki doesn't bite the tech who tries to give his meds. He bit the cat lady once, and I was mortified. On top of all this, Bill has a gravely ill family member, and I've been prepared to call the whole Thanksgiving visit off at a moment's notice. So yeah, I'm just a little bit overwhelmed.

After Thanksgiving is over, I'm making a point to spend more time with my friends. I want to spend some time just relaxing and hanging out, and I need to get out of my box for a while and go play. It's Fall in Texas, and the air is crisp and it's sunny and pretty. I need to get out on the weekends and get to the dog park, go on a photo safari, and go do something different for a change.

Then, I can take a deep breath and get ready for Christmas. Argh.


(On Edit)

Well that settles that. Bill's relative has passed away, and we have had to drop everything and make new plans. I'm staying home with "the kids" and he's traveling to the funeral. So that's that.

DIY Christmas

My favorite personal finance blog, Get Rich Slowly, has a lovely list of 34 Great Gifts You Can Make Yourself.

Getting a handmade gift is something I enjoy. Making handmade gifts is also a pleasure.

I generally do a mix of DIY and store-bought gifts, but I've been leaning more towards the DIY for some time. I started making batches of candy for my friends & family years ago. I love to make scarves, jewelry, handbags, and other fun stuff to let my giftees know that I'm thinking of them.

If I want to ninja a gift and keep it for myself, it's my best gauge for "giftability." For example, I once found tray with folding legs, with spaces for framed photos. I framed some botanical prints and gave the tray to my Aunt, but I honestly found myself debating whether or not I should just keep it, because it looked so cool. Someone told me that I should never give a gift that I wouldn't want for myself. I've held on to this principle, and discovered that in some cases, I'm a freak. Yeah, I honestly thought that cool toy I took to a yankee gift swap was the shit, and I was a little chagrined when somebody dissed it as the "loser gift" of the evening. Ahh, well.

I have a bizarre love of gift baskets - I got unreasonably happy the other day when my boss gave me a fruit basket. I think they represent "plenty" and even "excess" to me, rather like the cornucopia of old. (And nothin' says Yule like a $6 pear from Harry and David!) I've made up some of my own baskets as gifts, and for my far-flung loved ones, I know that a commercial basket is more likely to survive the trip, so I try to choose something that they would like.

The one exception is my gadget-loving, early-adopter, techno-head mate. I think he'd be a little perplexed by a crocheted iPod cozy. I haven't quite figured out what to get him this year, but it's guaranteed to have a microprocessor in it somewhere.

Overheard in the office...

"Nobody can scream in the bathroom around here without being criticized!"