#2873 weekend wrap-up

First, happy Christmas, if you celebrate the holiday. I understand that at it's core, it is a Christian holiday - it is right there in the name - but being a not-so-religious person, I gloss over that part and get straight to the giving of gifts, feasting, and being with loved ones. May your day be merry and bright, and may Santa bring you all the things you want.

You know, Christmas happens every December 25, and I know it, and as a planner addict, I see it, but somehow, the holiday totally snuck up on my this year. It was here before I really knew it was happening. It is surely a function of being out of town on the first and third weekends of December, and chilling without a thought in my head on that second weekend. This weekend has been a flurry of shopping for MT and T, and finishing up for Mama and Lizzie. Those sweet women will have nothing under the tree from me tomorrow. I am not proud or happy about my delinquency. 

On Friday afternoon, I got off work a little early, so I decided to take my end-of-the-year walk through Red Butte Garden. It was such a nice day. I wore joggers and a sweatshirt and felt very comfortable. The sky was blue, the air was crisp, and there was only a bit of snow on some of the north-facing slopes. Here are a few pics:

Ghost pine

Wild grasses and the frozen pond

The small waterfall

The remains of a flowering plant, red berries, and Red Butte Peak

The Garden is closed today through January 1. It has become a tradition for me to walk around the Garden at the end of the year. It felt good to walk around, clear my head, and prepare for the holiday. It is such a wonderful place! I'm so thankful for it.

Yesterday MT and I shopped from about 1:30 - 7:00, with a nice break for lunch. We had fun looking around at stuff and buying gifts for our loved ones. MT took T out later in the evening, and I went back out to get something for MT and to do the grocery shopping. It was a long day, but I'm glad I went to the grocery store last night.

Today, MT and I went out again. We went up to Park City to the outlet mall. It wasn't as busy as I thought it might be. We just took a couple of hours to zip up there and back down to the valley. I'm glad I went. I bought myself a new outfit at Eddie Bauer. Maybe I'll put it in a gift back and say it is from Sandy Claus. LOL

This evening, I made fettuccine - a tradition I picked up from the movie The Holiday.

We gobbled it down, and I proceeded to get a little tipsy on wine and Christmas cheer (Bailey's Irish Cream on the rocks.) I wrapped gifts by stuffing them in gift bags with lots of frothy tissue paper, and now here I am, telling you all about it.

Now I am going to crawl in bed. The good thing about not having a little kid is that we all sleep in on Christmas morning. MT and I are planning to have some pancakes and eggs for breakfast. For our main meal, we will have ham and side dishes of sweet potato casserole, mac and cheese, rolls and salad. For dessert: cheesecake. One of Marty's clients works at Honeybaked Ham during the holidays, and for the past few years, she has given him a gift card there, so Christmas dinner is super easy. Everything but the sweet potatoes comes from Honeybaked. I am grateful for her generosity. I have ham dishes planned for just about every night next week. I'm okay with that!

It's nearly midnight here. I wish you peace, love, and joy. 

xoxo