As a rule, I don’t usually get very excited about holidays. Growing up our family never made that big of deal about them. There are some exceptions but generally it was moderate build-up to moderate let down. And working in newspapers for so many years, I have come to think of holidays as a lot of extra work in the build-up and then having to be at work instead of enjoying the day with my family. It’s made me a bit of a Scrooge.

But I LOOOOVE Christmas lights. Since moving out on my own, even during the years I knew there wouldn’t be presents or other festivities, I have almost always put up Christmas lights. This year, I knew the holidays were going to suck because we would be seriously short-handed at work and I would spend the 2 weeks of Christmas and New Years toiling away. So I took the week before Christmas off and tried to get my festive impulses out of the way.

House looks super festive with Christmas Lights!

This neighborhood goes all out on Christmas lights and I think I made a reasonable showing, especially compared to my immediate neighbors — Charles (northside) had a string across the front of the house and Jason & Liz (southside) string around their front porch.

I also spent 2 days of my vacation making about 8 dozen cookies of all different kinds and all were at least somewhat delicious! Then I made cookie plates and delivered them to all of my neighbors — They were all grateful and impressed! I took the rest to a Christmas party at Adam and TJ on Saturday night. It was a lovely evening and all of my Rex Hamilton children were there (except Ryan, who just moved back to Wisconsin). Fun, festive fun!

Then, Sunday was SUPPOSE to be my Christmas, with fancy dinner, open my few presents, possibly phone calls to the fam and maybe a movie while having a couch snuggle with Lily (she got a furminator for Christmas and I was eager to try it out!). But not to be. Woke up Sunday morning and was puttering around when work called and said someone was sick with the nasty flu that was wandering around, so I had to go in. Christmas Cancelled!

That was the start of a horrible 16 day stretch of working 12 hour days with half of the copy desk either out with illness (damn that flu!) or on vacation (damn you Micah for letting so many people be off at once!). But at least the final day was fun. My good friend, and shasta daisy contributor, assistant Metro editor Mr. Dave Kern retired. We had a grand Columbian send off with songs (Mr. Editor guy to the tune of American Pie — so awesome!), nice speeches (mine was a good mix of funny, yelling and weepy) and cake! The following night there was a big to-do with more singing and seeing lots of old Columbian folks. I even chatted with a few people that held my position back in the day — one guy had it BEFORE I WAS BORN — that was surreal!

Mr. Kern rocks out at his goodbye party at Scott Hewitt’s house. Sorry the photo is so blurry — I was laying on the floor shooting up.

Glad the holidays are over for another year! Even if that means I have to take down the Christmas Lights!