The ever looming deadline finally did me in. I just flat ran out of time to finish everything on my list. Next year, I think scrapbooks are off the list of handmade gifts. I ended up making three, and normally I really love making them, but the problem is that I always get the pictures late in the month because you have to have some recent pictures in there, and then I end up doing 18 hour long scrapbook marathon sessions.
Yesterday at about 11 at night, my back screaming in agony and papercuts on every finger, I finally said I wouldn’t do this anymore. And then I woke up this morning and scrapbooked for about ten more hours. It was a little late for Plan B.
On the plus side, one of those scrapbooks is one I’ve had in the works for a year and a half and kept putting it off until the next holiday. So hooray for me for finally finishing that one.
All in all I did pretty great. I think if my computer hadn’t crashed taking all our addresses and photos with it, I could have actually finished everything I wanted to do. Instead I had to cut back a little on the size of two of the scrapbooks and put off a present I wanted to make for Atti to make up for the days and days I spent reclaiming photos from around the internet and sending email after email to gather addresses again.
We didn’t get much baking done either. Aside from our Hot Fudge and Lemon Curd sessions, we made nary a cookie. And Bear really wanted to try his hand at a gingerbread house too. That’s probably for the best. Over the month Bear brought home four pounds of See’s chocolate, a five pound tin of Danish Butter Cookies, bags and bags of movie candy, Lindor chocolates, cookie plates, homemade fudge, vanilla chews, chocolate mint cookies and gift baskets full of more goodies. Junk food flows abundantly through a retirement community at Christmastime. We both teach teenagers at church and every week we’d bring bowls full of candy to pawn off on them and we still ate more than we needed or even wanted to.
We plan on waking up early tomorrow morning, taking some picture with Atti gumming on a present, and then heading up to the in-laws for a quick Christmas visit before heading back home for ham, scalloped potatoes, and lots of knitting with no deadline attached. I don’t think I’ll be moving from the couch for a few days, but I’ll still be popping in here amidst my gluttony.
While part of me is overjoyed at the thought of the day being upon us so I can finally slow down my scramble and just melt into the coziness around me, I’m also a little disappointed it’s already here. I’ve so enjoyed having you all visit me during my favorite time of year. I love this crafty blogging community, and I look forward to a 2009 full of great ideas and lots of inspiration from all of you.
Merry Christmas from Tresa, Jared, and baby Atticus.