In case you don't have a six-year old to ask you this question multiple times each day since before Halloween, the answer is 12 and that would be not including today. Since that is always his follow-up question, whether I am including the current day or not. If you are not reading this on Tuesday, subtract how many days after that from 12.
I know why he is excited. I can remember well wiggling in bed, listening to a Christmas record, trying to fall asleep so Santa would come but then also dissecting every noise in case somehow I'd faked him out and he'd arrived while I was still awake. Then, all you had to do was leap out of bed at an ungodly hour in darkness, pull your parents out of their bed, and then go discover what Santa brought you.
It's a little different on the other side. There is a lot more work as an adult. Someday, I want to become that mother that hums while decorating with the smell of baking cookies in the air. Then tucks her little ones in bed with a holiday story. Right now, I'm the mother that yells at her daughter to go to bed while sitting at the table with her son trying to help him finish creating his 3-D model of a flower he created that is due tomorrow that we both forgot about. As for the cookie smell, Ha. I had to carry the garbage out because a different sort of odor filled the air.
I also have this splitting headache but worse than anything else, I don't have a book to read. It is that awkward time of year when I don't feel like I can buy myself new books. My birthday is a week before Christmas and then, of course, there is Christmas. All those who love me and even those who barely tolerate me but feel obligated in some way to get me a gift, know I love books, all shapes, sizes and forms of them. So I get books, I get gift cards, and hopefully I'll get some Kindle credit. Because of that, I don't feel like I can buy books today or tomorrow or at least until my birthday. But even then I can't buy the ones I really want because I put them on my Christmas wish list. Sigh, high class set of problems but feeling stymied anyway.
Well, you know, it's unlikely that any of them will have bought you -my- book, since you can't just go pick it up at the store.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of my book, drop by my House tab and read the first few paragraphs. It opens kind of like you describe waiting in bed for Santa.
My kids have advent calendars this year, which helps them keep track of the days tll Christmas so that they don't ask.
I rarely ask for books for gifts, and I generally ask for people not to get surprise books for me either. One year, my wife saw me reading a book, and oh so cleverly got a good look at it when I wasn't around, saw it was the first in a series, and went out and purchased all the remaining installments as a surprise.
ReplyDeleteWell, surprise was on her. I was hating the book I was reading and was just carrying it around until I found something else to read. I mean, I really was hating it, a lot. She was so proud when she saw me open up my box... sigh. I didn't have the heart to let her know.
Until later, but still, it was awkward.
Aw, man, Rusty, that sucks. As a kid, I always hated getting books for Christmas. It was never anything I wanted to read. My daughter got me a book a few years ago. Because it had a pretty, shiny green cover with gold letters. It must be good if it's so pretty, right?
ReplyDeleteTwo words for the perfect gift. Book tokens :-)
ReplyDeleteAndrew-where did you find the advent calendar that was in order? All we have and all I can find are ones that have the numbers all jumbled around.
ReplyDeleteRusty-is it wrong your comment made me laugh? Both times I read it, I laughed out loud. Did you re-gift? Jeff tries really hard to buy me clothes and they always look horrible on me. So then he is stuck not wanting to tell me that what he bought isn't so flattering. I love getting books though, even if I end up not liking them. There is something about an unread book that is like an unwrapped present.
Sarah- two of a kind, you and I
Andrew - it did suck. I felt so bad.
ReplyDeleteNancy - I took them back. The store let me exchange them for good books.
Only a few more days and you'll be in book heaven! I, too, am less of Mother Christmas than I could be. It's sad, sad, sad, but I'll be good on Christmas Eve. : )
ReplyDeleteI hope you have a very happy birthday!
I think most of those people who hum while they happily bake and shop much have some sort of mental illness. *sigh*
ReplyDeleteI'm much more like you, though my kids are now old enough I've gotten a break from the homework.
My family gave up trying to discern my tastes in books, music, and movies years ago. (Except my wife - she's scary good at it.) So I get a lot of gift cards.
ReplyDeleteGuess that means you have a birthday in a couple days, right? Hope it is awesome and full of books.
Until then, you could browse the free books on Kindle...
Aw. Buy yourself a book. You deserve it, even if those other gifts are around the corner!
ReplyDeleteThis year, we don't have one that goes in order; although, we have in the past. I didn't really look for them; we just stumbled on some at Trader Joe's and decided to pick one up for each of the kids.
ReplyDeleteSorry, I can't give you a satisfactory anser there (and for waiting so long to respond (the fact that I was going to respond just got kind of buried under all the busy of late)).
I'm proud of myself for being behind with reading your blog, but still getting you something from your above wish list for your birthday. I hope you love your Kindle as much as I love my Nook. :)
ReplyDelete