December Brings...

It's December. Officially.

On this day, the realization that Christmas is only 24 days away, is all too real. Only a small amount of Christmas shopping is done. Like I mean, one thing has been bought. I have a list of some of the other stuff I need to get, want to get. But I hate shopping so Christmas can be a miserable time of the year. Until it's all done. And I sure do like getting presents.

This is the first year we've given the child an advent calendar. I was sitting here just moments ago and remembered, Hey, today is the first. Time to break out the calendar. Great way for a 3 year old to learn her numbers, by the way. I asked her to find the 1 and she searched through all the mixed up numbers and voila! she found the 1. A simple moment of pride for me, I suppose. Now if only she would learn to use the potty the way she's supposed to, then Mommy would be REALLY proud. And selfishly ecstatic.

This December Grandma is coming to visit. She will leave the moderate Okanagan climate to slog through the bitter chilliness that is Calgary. At least Christmas isn't in January or February. That would be brutal.

Deadlines, deadlines, deadlines. There was so much I hoped to accomplish this year and now it feels as though time is running out and nothing has been done. My novel was supposed to be finished. Not even close. On the bright side I did get quite a few stories submitted and lots of rejections in return. But it also came with a few publications as well, so it wasn't all bad. Book reviews in FreeFall, a short story in an anthology, a short story short-listed for a contest. All progress. And, I taught my first ever workshop less than a week ago and it went better than I could have imagined for a first try.

I've done a few public presentations. Readings at the AWCS Open Mic, An Encore Reading of Freshwater Pearls on November 23 which went really well, and I was invited to read for filling Station's flywheel Reading Series next week. December 8 at 7:30 at Pages on Kensington for anyone who's interested. And, I was invited to read for Writing in the Works in March. Very excited about that. Just really need to work on the novel so I have something decent to read.

December also brings snow and cold. I hate cold. I hate snow more. But one thing I've noticed this year, we haven't yet had as much snow as last year and even though it snowed just the other day, I kind of liked it, more for the sake of the child. It reminded of those snowy days as a child when I actually loved to see the white stuff on the ground. As we grow older and have to drive in the misery, it loses that childlike appeal. But watching the excitement in the child's eyes when she looked out the window, and later when she sloshed around in it, brought just a touch of warmth and appreciation back. Not to mention it wasn't all that cold and the roads weren't that bad so no need to white knuckle it down the Deerfoot.

The Christmas tree will go up. Probably today. The outside lights, maybe this weekend. And then we wait for good old Santa Claus. Would it be silly to put out cookies and milk every day until Christmas? Has Santa ever gotten stale cookies and sour milk?

The long and short of it...December brings the end of a year. And no matter how good or bad that year was, the bright side is, it's over and January starts a new year.

New opportunities and growth.

For all.