Not a Normal Christmas This Year

Well, the Christmas season is finally over, and it was not an average Christmas by any means. We didn't even put up our tree this year! I was sick for the entire month of December, eventually discovering that I have developed asthma. My allergies began in earnest about 7 years ago, and since that time, I've had several other health problems, including arthritis, a thyroid disorder, and several upper respiratory infections. It's been a real drag. But enough of my whining.

The Christmas program at church went well. The choir eventually learned all the notes that were put down on manuscript paper 300 years ago by Pergolesi or one of his contemporaries. "Magnificat" was beautiful, with a string quartet and organ (by yours truly) accompaniment. The text had to be performed in English, because our choir just wasn't ready for a proper Latin performance. Oh well. It was still a nice treat for the holidays.

I missed all the holiday parties because of my illness. My first sign of sickness was the last week of November. I had a cold, with fever, sore throat, runny nose and eyes, sore joints, coughing, and a splitting headache. Over the course of the next four weeks, I went to the doctor 3 times. Including my copay and prescriptions, I spent about 200 dollars on this "cold". Now, I'm using an inhaler every night and running a vaporiser to help me sleep. I'm also taking prednisone every day for the next week. I even had to get a shot at my last doctor visit. Ouch! I'm just glad that the cough has slowed down.

There I go whining again. As you can see, this sickness has really bummed me out.

So, since I didn't get to go to a single Christmas dinner or party, I feel like Christmas never really happened! Since Christmas Eve was on a Saturday this year, and Christmas morning was on Sunday, my entire weekend was taken up with music at church. My husband left on Saturday morning to visit with his family. I couldn't go because of my church organist responsibilities, so I spent Christmas Eve and morning all by myself. : (

I saw Josh and Noah on Christmas Eve at their dad's house. I gave them their Christmas gift and got hugs. Then, I spent that afternoon buying a small gift for my sweet husband. We didn't have a lot of money this year for Christmas, because I didn't make enough money this month. I had to cancel so many piano lessons because of my sickness. Bummer!

But it was still a decent holiday. I made Christmas cookies when I wasn't absolutely miserable.



I had already finished knitting lots of scarves, and ready to give as gifts. Thank God! Each of my students got a box of cookies and a scarf. I let them pick the scarf they wanted from a large basket. I gave cookies to friends at church, and scrounged around the house for other gifts. Books were given to some family members, because we have so many books in our house. The only shopping I had to do was for a few family members, so it wasn't that bad.

I saw TJ yesterday at my Mom's house, and we were able to spend about 3 or 4 hours together, so that was very nice. I gave him the orange hat and mittens, and he really liked them! I should have taken a picture of him wearing them, but I forgot to take my camera. Boo hoo!

When Marvin went to see his family, I sent him with a boxful of gifts for them. "The Cat Who..." books for his mom and sister (I'm addicted to that series by Lilian Jackson Braun). Gift cards for his brothers. And a new knitted hat for his dad. Here's a picture of it, as well as a picture of him wearing it. It was so thick and warm. I hope he likes it. I know that Marvin does. I had to make one for him too!














We got some nice cards and gifts from friends and family, so it was enjoyable. I'm looking forward to using my gift card at Hobby Lobby today or tomorrow! (Josh got that for me.) I gave Marvin a computer program for learning to play guitar. Now all he needs is the actual instrument. lol