Happy Yule

From about the age of ten on, Christmas was not much fun. Having your dad walk out on Christmas Eve does not set a precedent for wonderful Christmases. But having children has definitely changed my view. It's not just the joy of getting that moves me but rather their embracing of the whole season. They love the tree, love baking with me, love making cards and picking out presents. Their enjoyment in the whole process has made it easier for me to relax. In the past, I became what H dubbed the "Christmas bitch." This involved an almost manic desire to make everything perfect. But the kids don't care about perfect, and their joy over the simplest things makes it easier to not have to relive my own bad Christmas. This year Umberto became conscious that there others who have much less than he does, and he gave on his own initiate. Plus this year was a bit special because for the first time ever I managed to surprise Horacio with a gift. Horacio is wonderful generous. He urges me to spend money on my hair (a hugely expensive proposition because I am quite vain about my hair), my camera obsession, stuff fro the kids, etc. However he is cheap when it comes to spending money on himself. He's been eyeing Ipods for about a year now but would never consider spending the money to get one. So I got him a Classic and managed to keep it hidden from him for about a month. It felt good to do something like that for someone who is so generous and who has been working a yucky job to keep us fed.

Happy Holidays to all!