It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas?

Alll the gifts are bought, wrapped and the pkgs. mailed off. The last of my Christmas cards were mailed yesterday. And still I don't feel like Christmas this year. We exchanged St. Nicholas day gifts with our friend Anne, who also teaches math at Morris. We gave her a special coffee found only at Brick Street Coffee house that she loves, but never has time to get over and buy. And of course some dark chocolates to go along with the really strong coffee. She gave us a crate of oranges and pears. Both Keith and myself are working hard at taking off some extra pounds. As of this morning I'm down 19 pounds. He weighs at the heart center so we won't know until tuesday or the next tuesday how much more he's down but it was 16 pounds at the end of October. I was down 15 and since he had to move his belt to the last loop yesterday I know he's down much more.

Even the stores here haven't really gone all out for Christmas this year. With the economy in a slump and sales way down I guess they can't afford the extras either. The shelves are set up with Christmas gifts but no extra store trimmings and very little Christmas music. What is playing is the slow sad stuff that makes you feel more like crying than celebrating. Those houses who have decorated only add to the down side. Seeing Santa in his red suit and reindeer with a sleigh sitting on brown grass just doesn't make it. Very few houses have put up lights this year.

So for all the presents mailed and exchanged, the cards mailed and those received, I am not beginning to feel a lot like Chrstmas. I know Christmas is supposed to be in your heart not in your surroundings, but growing up in the cold north and associating Christmas with cold, snow, and stores decorated to the hilt and joyful Christmas music playing on every corner and people smiling and saying Merry Christmas as they pass....well, you get none of that here in the south and it really really doesn't feel like anything special here.

The good part is after Monday my husbands Christmas vacation starts so at least we'll get to sleep in for a couple weeks