Holiday season

In a wonderful turn of events, I was able to sleep until 6:30 this morning! (Mind you that 4 hours or so were spent on the couch, with my hands curled around V as we both dozed together.... very cosy...). Currently he is on his jungle playmat, grabbing toys and rolling from side to side. He has this look of extreme concentration on his little face as he wiggles around. I am utterly convinced that he is going to roll completely over at any minute, and so am watching intently as I write this morning.

I am having a hard time coming to terms with the fact that its the middle of November, and Thanksgiving will be here in a heartbeat, followed by Christmas in a nanosecond. So far I have done nothing to prepare for "Baby's First Christmas". I am looking into getting him a stocking, and am contemplating getting him a monogrammed one. Ideally, if I had a sewing machine I would be making him one. But, alas, my sewing machine now belongs to my sister in Canada so we will just have to do with a store bought one.

M is fixated on getting a real Christmas tree this year (we bought a fake one the year before). Real Christmas trees are so sad in Florida. The lots where you go and buy them are no way at all like buying them in Canada.

Tree buying 101:

* must be purchased from grocery store/liquor store parking lot.
* must be at least 3 Boy Scouts in attendance
* the weather MUST be near or below 30 for sure (or there should at least be a chill in the air)
* there should be tree debris all over everything
* the person that you actually pay for the tree should be pretty surly (because they are watching after a bunch of Boy Scouts at 8 pm on a tuesday night)

I know there are other rules, but its been a while since I have bought a tree in Canada.

Christmas trees in Florida are usually sold in an empty lot on the side of the road. An empty lot which has at least 5 palm tress on it (hence ruining the vision of christmas-y things). The grass of said lot should definetly be brown. Inflatable christmas decorations should be everywhere. Its depressing. I feel bad for the trees, which you know came from nowhere nearby. And are super expensive, and there are always tons left which will sadly be disposed of in a most depressing manner (which is why we got a fake one. Its just too sad).

Yesterday on the news (or what passes for the news) the reporters were showing a huge line of people at a toy drive. At first I thought they were dropping off gifts, which I thought was awesome. How wonderful to see so many people giving! But it turned out to be people lining up to receive instead.

I found this odd. Its November and the middle of November too! Thanksgiving is still 2 weeks away! Not that people who are in need should wait until December 24 to collect gifts for their children, but it just seemed really really early.

The other thing that really bothered me was that the reporter made some kind of comment about how families and their children needed the toys. I think it was the use of the word 'need' that bothered me. And I am having the hardest time articulating why that particular word bothered me so much(I have deleted about 10 sentences trying to explain). Children need clothes, need food, need education, need a mother and father (or some derivitive of that), need love and attention. These are things that I would define as being needed. Maybe its not so much the word, as the reporter's emphasis on receiving instead of giving thats my problem.

M and I have decided this year to really cut back on Christmas gifts for ourselves. And for wee V too. We are only spending $100 each. We each have $25 to spend on V (and what we buy is secret from the other person.... we like to complete), and the other $75 we spend on each other. And thats it. This year family members are getting homemade gifts. I don't want Christmas to be so focused on the buying, as thats something that I have always found stressful. And I don't want V to be too spoiled. I don't want him to anticipate so much on birthdays or Christmas. I realize that he isn't even going to notice this year, or even next..... its more so for M and I, but regardless....

Anyways, Mr Fuss-face in his jump-a-roo is making some angry "Mummy. MUMMY!!! Pay attention to me!!!!" noises, so off I go to applaud his jumping and tell him how amazing he is at it!