Christmas Achieved!

For the past couple of weeks, I've had a bit of a Sword of Damocles hanging over my head.

Christmas is a firm date on the calendar. No hiding it. No moving it. It is where it is.

Well, with the move, the week lost to the hospital (not a bad reason, just a fact), and then all the other appointments, etc... well, Christmas at our household was in jeopardy.

There just wasn't enough time. When to get a tree up? Buy presents? Decorate?

It wasn't happening. And as much as Ellicia and I could certainly forgive each other if there was no Christmas this year, the children would never understand. It would be retold countless times some twenty years from now in books and on Oprah's couch.

Sigh.

The days continued to march forward, and Christmas seemed more and more hopeless.

To add to it, in the immediate days leading up, there was another treatment for Ellicia, so that effectively not only took her out of the ballgame, but immobilized me as well... can't go anywhere if I'm staying to make sure she's ok (again, not complaining).

And then, a break. On Friday, 23 December, I got the tree up. A live tree and stand had been donated to us, and had been sitting on our balcony (still is, too), but AAFES, in all its wisdom, does not sell 110V lights. They sold plenty of 220V lights - just like I can buy at ANY OTHER STORE in Germany, but the 110V that I need in base housing? Can't find that... sigh. What's a tree with no lights?

We had an artificial tree (with lights pre-arranged), so up it went.

I begged a friend to come over for a few hours Friday afternoon so Ellicia and I could go shopping. She napped before, and had just enough strength to wander some aisles and we picked up a few things for the kids. Yippee!!!

And Saturday, Christmas Eve, the same friend blessedly took the kids out... as far as I can tell, they did a lot of driving and wandering, but for 6 sacred hours, we were alone. Presents were wrapped. Tree was decorated. Stockings were prepped (thanks to my Mum for some awesome stockings). We are set.

The house finally looks ready for Christmas. The kids will have it.

As for me, I'm a little sick, but nothing NyQuil can't take care of... and as for the stress, well, nothing a little NyQuil can't take care of... :)

Fröhliche Weihnachten!
(Merry Christmas)