Missing the Moment?

I'm doing it again.

Thanksgiving is three days away, and I am thinking about Christmas.

I am starting to wonder if it actually possible to "live in the moment" without kind of "missing the moment."

What I mean is this:

In October, I was really focused on staying "present."  Living each day in the moment, and not thinking about the past or the future.  Just trying to be where I was, when I was.

Well, parts of doing that were good.  I felt like I enjoyed things as they happened.

However, I also missed the boat on a lot of things.

For instance...Halloween.

Two years ago, I decided to really embrace the holiday.  I had never really done much, as far as decorating, or creating any fun family traditions in the past.

The kids would trick or treat, and we would hand out candy, of course.  And most years we would get around to carving pumpkins...although once the kids got older, it didn't always happen.

But then my friend Colleen came into our lives, and her birthday fell on Halloween.  So not celebrating was not an option.

Birthday girl with curly horned sheep chihuahua

Notice the "mummy dogs" ^^

Everyone wants to be a birthday princess

She was kind of attached to her pumpkin.

Well, this year, I let it all get away from me.  

I bought the pumpkins...but they never got carved.  (Well, the squirrels made a valiant attempt.)

I had a nice stash of Halloween decorations and party-ware that I purchased on clearance last year....all neatly stowed away, ready to go for this year.

It is still in the storage room.

I was so busy "living in the moment" that I never got around to planning and preparing for things that were coming up....and when they arrived, it was too late.

~

I am starting to feel that way about Thanksgiving.

I realize that perhaps I can still salvage this holiday.  

I am thinking about it now...so I have time to plan...to buy a turkey (or buy a sling shot and hunt one down.) and figure out how to cook one.

(We may be eating lasagne)

I can go get some orange, yellow, black and brown felt at the craft store to make pilgrim and Indian costumes for the dogs.  (They can draw straws over which one plays the pilgrim this year.  They both love those fancy buckle pilgrim shoes so much.)

I am guessing those pumpkins the squirrels have been eating may no longer be fit for human consumption...so I may have to re-think the pumpkin pie idea.

This is a good thing, since the pie crust making thing sounds a bit daunting to me.

I am sure the kids won't notice if I scrape that freezer burn off the ice cream, and serve whatever we can salvage from the bottom of the pail.

~

When we used to have our big family Thanksgiving pot-lucks....I was always in charge of bringing the buns.

Everyone else brought things like fancy salads, mashed potatoes, candied yams, cranberry froo froo, homemade pies, etc.  I brought buns.... that I picked up at the grocery store.

I always assumed they gave me bun duty because of my busy schedule.  They didn't want to burden me with having to bake a fancy side dish or dessert.

It took several years before it occurred to me that perhaps that wasn't it at all.

Perhaps they were actually looking out for their own health and well-being.

Buns were safe. It was highly unlikely anyone would suffer from salmonella poisoning or e-coli if I brought buns.  Always underestimating the artsy fartsy one.  Little do they know.

They have never tasted my microwave popcorn.  I skills beyond their wildest imagination.

Well...it's a good thing we are having lasagne for Thanksgiving.

I have a loaf of frozen garlic bread in the freezer.

Or we may just opt for a gourmet meal.  Browning the hamburger is a lot of work though.

~

~

As for Christmas...I think that may be on hold for awhile.

Silly Santa.

I suggested 3 diamond rings.

Instead...he got confused and thought I said 3 insurance claims.

Lexie strikes again.

I guess she wanted to make sure the front of the car matched the back?

3 body repairs + 4 new tires = Merry Christmas!

She will be getting bubble wrap for Christmas.

And a job.

~

As for me....I have altered my Christmas list, slightly.

*********

Dear Santa,

All I want for Christmas is a self renewing prescription of prozac.

Thank you,

Beth