I am writing this at five o’clock on the evening of December 16, 2014. I have been online all day long. Can you believe it, Dear Reader? I have not looked at my email or Facebook or anything.
This year’s Christmas tree, Daytime version
And it’s all because of Christmas. Christmas is interfering with my writing, which is not to say that I’m getting anything else done, either. I went to a wonderful Christmas party/open house at Poisoned Pen Bookstore on the 12th, ate lots of treats I didn’t need but greatly enjoyed, met some folks I didn’t know, met some folks I do know. Listened to some excellent live music. Passed out all the promotional material I had with me to whoever asked.
Otherwise I’ve been shopping, trying to clean, trying to get some household tasks taken care of, which entails having workmen come out to the house and give us estimates. Today Don and I went out to the mall, which I usually avoid at Christmas time. But this being a Tuesday, I figured it wouldn’t be too bad. For the past few years we’ve taken to going out together to shop for each other. One of us picks out something he or she likes and the other buys it for him/her. Takes a lot of pressure off. Today Don finally got a new belt, which he has been needing for ages.
Nighttime version
Also, December 16 was always the traditional day for decorating the Christmas tree when I was a kid. It was my parents’ wedding anniversary, and it didn’t seem odd to us youngsters that the folks spent their anniversary buying and decorating their Christmas tree instead of foisting us off on some relative and going out on the town. December 16 may seem late to be putting up your tree these days, but back in the day we bought big old live trees, and you didn’t want them turning into dried up firetraps before the season was over.
Don resisted buying an artificial tree for the first untold number of years of our marriage, but when he got sick in 2008 and couldn’t go tree shopping, I put up a little fake tree that I had used in my Scottish shop. A couple of years later I bought a pretty little fake tree that we have used every since. It doesn’t smell the same, but I don’t have to sweep up needles every day, either.
I have been working on this website a little, when I can. I posted Barbara Leavy’s wonderful interview with me as a permanent feature of my Press Kit page. I also updated my Events calendar. I have only one event in January, which is good since I’m working on the new book and need to get a draft to my editor by mid-January. After that, I have a bunch of stuff coming up in February and March, which I will tout when time grows nearer.
Since I no longer have a salaried job, I live my life behind time, but in some ways I don’t care. I’d rather be slow than stressed out. I’ve already lived too much of my limited time on earth in a hurry.
Have a wonderful holiday season, all. Merry Christmas, and as of sundown this very minute, Happy Hanukkah!
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