Twinkle Rejuvenation Program for Exhausted Mama Elves

Every year I proclaim "This year I'm keeping it simple!"

And every year, without fail, I fail!

I valiantly race to keep myself ahead of the giant glittering ornament boulder released upon us poor Mamas just as we put the last Thanksgiving dinner plate in the dishwasher.

I love the spear-wielding natives at the end of this video...

they remind me of my own present-hungry, lightsaber-wielding natives.

It might be August, but if I see something someone on my list would like I'll pick it up and stick it one of my gift stashes.

We buy our Christmas tree the Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend, and it's usually fully decorated within a day or two. The way I see it, if I'm gonna spend all this time & energy decorating a dying, needle-spewing shrub, I should get to enjoy the sparkling & twinkling for as long as possible.

The Monday after Thanksgiving, I hit the holiday lists full force...my goal...to have holiday cards ordered & gifts acquired 10 days prior to C-day.

In the midst of battling distracted drivers on congested retail thoroughfares and hoards of stressed out & exhausted shoppers, there is also the Christmas kitchen to contend with.

First comes the annual grease-palooza...the making of the Christmas doughnuts. These must be accomplished first, as a few dozen must be shipped to my non-frying folks in CA. The rest get stashed in my basement freezer, eventually to be nibbled on during the present frenzy of Christmas morning.

Then there are the multiple varieties of holiday cookies to be baked and decorated - 'cause you can't make just one batch! Heck, you never know what Mr. Kringle's palate might be yearning for when he finally arrives at your house. And presents might not get left if you don't have just the cookie confection to fit his mood! 

 This year's bake-off consisted of the traditional gingerbread & sugar, and some fun & funky Christmas Swirly Cookies (layers of red, white & green sugar cookies, rolled in Christmas sprinkles, sliced then bake). 

When I pulled the Swirly Cookies out of the oven, the Handsome Husband proclaimed "they look like Dr. Seuss made 'em"! 

(I'll post a snap of the Dr. Seuss cookies another day. I'm too damn lazy this Christmas Eve morning to get up off my ass up and snap a few shots.) 

Sure there are gifts to buy, but for those type-A's like myself, that think they need to teach their kids some deeper gift-giving lessons (what a crock!), there are also the dreaded handmade-homemade gifts. Though inspiration, preparation and actual handy-crafting may commence in July (and your friends finally get confirmation you have lost your mommin' mind), somehow it always ends up with this Mama Elf in the chilly basement 'til 2am mere days before Christmas finishing up the multitude of projects my boys have lost interest in.

Last year it was variety of sponge-painted photo jewelry boxes & pencil holders. This year it's handwarmers for teachers and scarves for Grands & Aunties & Uncles. Sure, the boys helped pick out the patterns and yarns, but, try as they might, they just couldn't master cabling!

Mama Elf's Christmas spirit was definitely taking a beatin'. 

So what's an exhausted elf to do? 

Despite the yet to be knitted scarves and piles of still to be wrapped gifts, I launched my own Twinkle Rejuvenation Program. 

Here's my 12-step program (Don't worry, there aren't actually 12 steps...who's got time!).

Stop what your doin' and take an evening stroll through the neighborhood...a few holiday lights make even the shabby house in your neighborhood look festive & whimsical.

Pour yourself a glass of wine (or steep a cup of tea if you must), grab a cookie (or two), turn of the lights, plop yourself on the sofa and enjoy the fruits of all those decorating labors.

And when you get an urgent GNO email, don't be "good" and stay home to wrap or bake! Put on something sparkly, dig out your fav glam lip gloss and join the girls for some grape juice and giggles.

Don't worry...the presents will still need wrapping, your house will still need cleaning, and the groceries will still need buying, but you will be so much perkier (unless you had that 2nd glass of grape juice) after a little time to unwind.

Get yourself a mani-pedi and read a trashy weekly while they rub your feet.

So where do things stand in Weeksworld this Christmas Eve morning?

Scarf knitting...three still to be knitted.

Guess some family folk will be gettin' a box of yarn & a picture of their scarf.

Wrapped gifts...zero, nada, zip

There are gonna be a LOT of gift bags under our tree this year!  Tissue paper, stuff, label, DONE. 

Coffee...brewin'.

Mama Elf...sitting on the sofa, watching a glorious Christmas Eve sunrise and blogging.

Merry Christmas to all the Mama Elves!!

And don't forget to...

Savor the sparkle and treasure the twinkle.

Serenity, now!