Christmastime list checkup

Gifts sent to relatives? Check. Mostly. At least the kids.

Gifts acquired for our own children? Half-check. I always end up doing this in the last week before Christmas, and it goes fine. I'll go to a few stores tomorrow morning, leaving the boys with dear husband 'cause he's taking the rest of the week off (and next week, all the way through Jan 2, yay!). That might do it. I have a few homemade things to do, if possible. This is all more complex because Son1's birthday is the day after Christmas.

Christmas letter written? Check. Though I'm not even attempting to send it until next week.

Christmas tree up? Check, thanks to dear husband.

Christmas tree decorated? Uh, no, thanks to the carefully packed-away lights NOT WORKING and therefore a trip to the store late last night to buy more lights. Now I'm working up the energy to put the lights on the tree before the kids go to bed tonight.

Teacher gifts assembled and given? Check. Whew.

Last day of school reached and finished? Check. And boy howdy, are these two boys getting excited about Christmas! I'm applying lots of outdoor playtime to ease the mix of excited boys and no-energy mommy.

Common areas of the house decluttered? Not on your life. Kids' toys decluttered and streamlined? Arrgh, not that either. I've started hauling things around and clearing out the living room etc 'cause of the Christmas tree and of course the upcoming new items arriving in the household shortly... but the clutter has gotten a bit wild and it's daunting. And that's the first decluttering priority. We can deal with older toys after Christmas Day.

Goals for the next few days: take care of myself to get rid of my cold and avoid Christmas morning wipeout (eat right, drink lots, take zinc etc, relax, sleep enough). Finish the Christmas gift-getting and -making. With the boys, finish decorating the tree and get the electric candles in the windows. With the boys, bake cookies! Wrap their gifts before the late afternoon Christmas Eve service rather than 10 pm - 1 am (shudder). Do the essentials and enjoy them without fussing over what we're not doing / not getting done. That's a biggie.

Today's O Antiphon
O Oriens, splendor lucis aeternae, et sol justitiae: veni, et illumina sedentes in tenebris et umbra mortis.

[Oops, it's not "O King of the Nations, and their Desire; the Cornerstone, who makest both one: Come and save mankind, whom thou formedst of clay." Not at all!]

O Dawn of the East, brightness of light eternal, and Sun of Justice: come, and enlighten those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.

UPDATE: Only later did I look carefully at the latin and realize the English paraphrase is not for this antiphon at ALL! I found an appropriate translation, from R. Fairchild's sermon and lectionary resources O Antiphons page. I like their English translations much better, anyway.

I love the Great O Antiphons. A big thank you to those sister and brother Christians of the 8th and 9th centuries.