I want to love Christmas

I really do.  I like to shop.  I like to decorate.  I like Christmas music.  I like to bake - some.  I like to eat too much.  I like to spend time with family.  But somehow I always get depressed at Christmas.  My house is half decorated.  My shopping is half done.  Nothing is wrapped.  I haven't baked anything (except chicken burritos for dinner last night.)  I'm okay with all of that even.  But every year it hits me.  There is something missing.   I want this perfect Norman Rockwell Christmas where everyone is happy and we all get along and go for rides to look at Christmas lights and have parties with friends and family and then go home and sit in front of the fire and drink hot chocolate.  But we don't get along and don't go to parties and don't have a fireplace and hot chocolate makes my kids wild.  I want to go to church on Christmas Eve and for the kids to get up Christmas morning and say "look what Santa brought me" instead of "see I told you Santa wasn't real because he didn't bring me a go-cart or an ipod or a new computer like I asked for."  I realize this is unrealistic.  And I also realize it is part of the problem.  When my expectations are high, I'm going to be disappointed.  And yeah, my kids are past Santa age but they could still either get in the spirit and pretend or at least realize that Santa is a single mom with 5 kids and a budget.
Oh well, I'm off to gather the kids to decorate the tree and eat candy canes and probably break up a couple of fights.....

10 inches

That's how much hair I had cut off this week.  I am donating it. I've done it once before and have been thinking about doing it again but waiting until my hair was long enough.  It finally was...just barely.

Here is what was cut off

The woman that cut it was really nervous.  I didn't realize this until she was done.  The fact that she really wasn't talking should have clued me in but she said she doesn't talk much when she gets in a zone.  And I told her to begin with that I had done it before and that it was just hair and would grow back.  When she got done I could tell she was surprised.  She kept saying "Thank you Lord" and "that was all Him" and stuff like that.  I really love it a lot!  Today I didn't even do anything to it and it looks good.  And when I run I don't have to worry about constantly readjusting my ponytail or anything like that.  And it feels good to have my hair loose and let the wind blow through it.  It might have even made me a little faster....okay, not really but it sure feels good!