Tis the Season

Well, moving back in with my parents has proved to be quite the production.

Since I haven't officially lived at home (at least not for longer than a few months during the summer) in over four years, needless to say the task of integrating all my Stuff from Birth until High School with my Stuff from College has been a bit more taxing than I'd anticipated. My bedroom was converted into a quasi-storage-space in my absence, which is fine...except now I have to figure out how to restore it to its original splendor that is my personal dwelling space. Those who know me well know that I take great pride in my mad decorating skills, so the "nesting" impulse has kicked into high gear as I try to sort through box after box of random crap, some of which doesn't even belong to me, in an attempt to feel a bit more at home.

Monday was official Empty Out, Sort Through, and Reorganize Everything In My Closet Day, followed today by Locate, Sort Through, and Put Into Corresponding Binders Every Piece of Paper to Ever Pass Through My Hands During My College Career Day. I look forward to tomorrow, which is Figure Out Where In the World to Keep All My Books (Both Textbooks and Personal Books) Day. And I have determined that I will not see another nights sleep (after tonight, of course. It's 2 AM as I write this, and there's no way I'm going out now...though it would be a good way to avoid crowds) until I finish the last of my Christmas shopping. Fortunately, in my family, we all purchase our own gifts, and so all I have to do is spend $5 on each family member's stocking-stuffers, which is almost more than I can afford. If you're reading this, and you're not in my immediate family, know that I love you and all you're getting from me this Christmas is a smile, and possibly a hug if I really like you. Nothing personal, it's just that lack-of-money is one of the side-affects of unemployment. If you're reading this and you are in my immediate family, know that I'm putting a lot of thought into those $5, and I still have no idea what I'm going to get. You're kinda hard to shop for. Which is why I'll probably spend 6 hours wandering around Target tomorrow. Ah well, Tis the Season.

But, despite the chaos of reorganization and the maddness of holiday shoppers, there have been some definite perks of being back home. My brother and I have been able to spend quite a bit of time together the past couple of days, and I even cooked lunch for him today. My sister-in-law and I spent most of the day together on Sunday, doing some Christmas shopping (well...she shopped, I wandered around, picked up items, experienced buyers-remorse before ever seeing the cash register, and then leaving items like purses in the middle of the mens clothing section) and are planning to spend Thursday evening baking Christmas goodies for friends and family. My mom and I actually sat down and watched a movie together last night (which Mom rarely does...she's usually thinking ahead to things she needs to get done), and Dad checked to make sure I was safe in bed at 3 AM the other night, which is the sweetest thing anyone has done for me in a while. God has truly blessed me with a wonderful family, and this time of year always helps to remind me of how truly wonderful they are.

Tis the Season indeed.