December activities

It's a typical Christmas break in Southern California for me - catching up with friends from elementary and high school over lunches and dinners, going to the mall for last minute presents, attending various family functions, and struggling through a December cold.

This year I have also managed to injure the outside of my right foot by walking several miles in shoes with little sole support one day in London and it's taking awhile to heal. After limping through Macy's this afternoon I realised that I really do need to just stay off my feet this week and wear unattrative shoes.

Another non-traditional event was going to David's Bridal to pick the right size for my bridesmaid dress for Brea's wedding next May. I really don't like bridal stores, and I like bridal store employees even less. After trying on three different sizes (the final one being what I thought I should have tried in the first place) I successfully purchased and exited the store with only having made one snide remark to the employee. I was impressed with myself.

I am cooking often for my family this year, as I have plenty of time and energy and it's something I can do to contribute without spending a lot of money. I have volunteered to do Christmas Eve dinner, and I am thinking of making a whole chicken slow roasted in a sage/rosemary rub and wrapped in prosciutto. It's always a crowd-pleaser and it's something that can sit in the oven for a few hours while we are at the Christmas Eve service.

I am taking time to clean out my (paper) files, shredding and recycling old statements and receipts, and making room for the up-to-date paperwork that should be kept somewhere (aka conveniently for me in my closet of my old bedroom). Having been in London over two years, I am finally ready to let go of my BMW service history receipts and and old health insurance reimbursement forms. Out with the old, in with the new! Now it's files for my UK visa application, my travel insurance and my redundancy forms.

I am so grateful to not be working at this time of the year. In many recent years I have felt unprepared for Christmas or I have spent most of the break catching up on sleep and recovering from worse colds or a flu. Even though I find myself wandering around the house at times, looking for things to do, it's enjoyable to leisurely think about Christmas Eve dinner and to wrap presents in between naps and cooking. I am impatiently waiting for my new Dell netbook to arrive (hopefully tomorrow!) so I can get that up and running, and I am procrastinating on submitting my new visa application paperwork for the UK. Those are my two major "to do" items this week, aside from the Christmas activities. They are good problems to have.