Eleventh Hour Gifts Under The Poinsettia
I was not one of the lucky passengers chosen for a full-body pat down OR a full-body scan on my way out here on Monday. I'm not sure at all, really, but I swear, think I possibly saw a woman on my flight that I went to college with many years ago, named Ch@ntel. But I am not 100% certain it was her since I only knew her very superficially through an Anthropology seminar we had together. You know how it is when you see someone you think you might know but you're not sure if it's really them when it's out of context or has been years since you saw them? The woman on the plane had super long, wavy hair, which was definitely not the case when we went to school together. But it's entirely possible it was her if she was connecting flights via Washington DC and Denver to get home to her native West Coast. It is funny what random stuff you sometimes remember about people, though....even those you only knew casually. Like, I DO clearly remember that my friend Peggy's ex-boyfriend M@tt had a huge crush on Chantel for a while, although I believe, quite confidently, that she was not interested in him in the least, and fittingly so since he turned out to be a major loser and a top-notch jerk to my friend.
Anyway...I'm pleased to report my knitting needles in my carry on bag didn't catch anyone's eye, so I am busy being crafty at the last minute, for a present that, somehow, should have been started even a few days earlier. Lately Holiday things get pushed to the eleventh hour, including cards, shopping, and home-made gifts....and now this year, the tree, too. But, my sister has a gorgeous, huge (as in about 2 feet in diameter) poinsettia by the fireplace. If we're too lazy to get the tree set up, we can still put presents under the poinsettia, and it will look really pretty. That's okay, isn't it? Or is it wrong not to have a tree? (It would be the first time ever w/o it, and it would feel odd, but I'm open to all ways of celebrating Christmas, including new traditions. Next up: light a candle on 12 nights and give a gift each night maybe for the 12 days of Christmas, just like my Jewish friends do for Hanukkah?
Anyway, things are going fine. I do have to go back to the endocrinologist for a follow-up test right after I get back home in January. Remember the one lab test I said my sister had urged me to request from them? I requested it, they did it in early December, and sure enough, it came back out of range, which fills me with mixed feelings of relief that I may have some answers, but also fear about why they are as they are, and what the underlying reason behind the results are (which from my understanding, may be quite straightforward and simple, or a bit more complex).
But, it wouldn't be appropriate to not end on a high note right before I sign off. I have gotten into a holiday mood this year and how can I not? Charlie Brown Christmas music is on in the background, as I knit a snowflake patterned hat for someone. There's knitting to do, more shopping, and wrapping, baking, and maybe eating to do.
PS, Not that you asked, but I have some good recommendations for holiday music: 1) "A Charlie Brown Christmas" (of course), 2) George Winston's "December", and 3) a fantastic 3-part Pottery Barn holiday music collection of which Part I = Classic Christmas (Andy Williams, Tony Bennett, Nat King Cole, Burl Ives, etc.), Part II = A Cool Christmas (with the likes of Duke Ellington, Pearl Bailey, Eartha Kitt), and Part III = Hip Holidays (which the voices of Ella Fitzgerald, Dean Martin, and Louis Armstrong).
Ho ho ho, gotta run! I'll catch you after Xmas!
