Ireland has been on my bucket list for many years…even before 23 and Me informed me that I’m mostly Irish. In the movies it looks beautiful and quaint. It appears to be a friendly inviting country and the people seem happy. Who wouldn’t want to go there?
Taken from the bus window on a small road in Ireland
Disney World is “the happiest place on Earth” and it’s “where dreams come true.” I love Disney. Growing up in Florida we went several times a year! Yes, we went a lot. I had to check out this country of Ireland where the movies make it look like the adult version of a Disney park. Therefore, I added it to my bucket list!
Cobh, seaside town in Ireland…last stop of the Titanic before it sank
Two years ago, my youngest daughter asked if she could go on a school trip to Ireland. Since I live vicariously through my children, I said “yes” with enthusiasm. My next response was a question, “can parents go?” She checked on it, and I could go. Then…what about the other daughter still living at home? Would she be able to go? Again, it was a yes. There I was, committed to a two year payment plan for three people to go on this trip with no idea how I was going to pay for it, but we were going!
Some of the many sheep in Ireland
It was so much more than just Ireland. We went to Wales, Scotland, and England. We rode a bus (a lot), we rode a ferry, and we rode a train. Of course, the trip had a few airplane rides as well.
We also took a few rides on the tube in London
I could write for days and tell you how amazing this trip was for everyone in our group. A group of teenagers and adults from South Georgia coming together for 10 days on a great adventure! Castles, museums, restaurants, tours, lots of exploring in old cities, and a big day in London… I’ll get back to that. In 10 days, we saw a lot of Ireland and Great Britain. We also learned that Great Britain is a lot of countries to include England. (Plus, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland)
“Proper” fish and chips….the best I have ever had!
I mentioned earlier that two of my daughters and myself went together on this big trip. Our daily exploring group included another set of two sisters. Our accountability group also included one young man traveling alone. We were known as “The DeFelice Six.” Exploring with so many teenagers was a challenge as everyone had some where they wanted to go, but we had limited free time throughout the journey. Now I have to go back one day to see more…especially my favorite, Scotland.
The girls and I enjoying coffee in Edinburgh, Scotland
One of the big highlights happened in London. We were on a tour that included a bus ride and walking. Our amazing tour guide had a surprise in store for us that day! A once in a lifetime kind of event! It was the King’s Birthday parade.
The King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
We saw the King! We also saw the Royal Family. King Charles and his Queen, Camilla, were in a horse drawn carriage. Princess Anne, Prince Edward, and Prince William rode horses right behind the King. There were other carriages in the parade with their families. Yes! We saw Kate, George, Charlotte and Louis as their carriage passed by the crowds that lined the streets. Our awesome tour guide picked a spot along the route that was less crowded, so we were almost up front! Did I mention the band was riding horses? Let me remind you…we saw the King! (And the two future Kings)
The band on horses
The high school teacher that sponsored the trip was extremely organized and experienced. We came prepared with our special backpack that identified us as part of the group, our one carry-on, and one small rolling suitcase. She told us to prepare for rain, but we were blessed with 7 days of sunshine! Ten day trip, so we did get to use our rain jackets a few times. I highly recommend signing up if that type of program exists at your teens’ school!
I’ll end this with a quick roll-up of some core memories (besides seeing the King): museums with history and famous artwork, riding the London Eye, the best fish and chips while in Edinburgh, a few sheep blocking the road in Ireland, seeing the stuffed clone sheep “Dolly” in Scotland, finding my maiden name (King) engraved on several places in an old church in Dublin, and the crazy maze we had to wind our way through to get to customs in Canada. There is so much more I could add from those 10 days, and I would love to go back there! However, the point of this post is this: cross Ireland off my bucket list!
Summer is my favorite because it is almost synonymous with the word beach. Okay, not really, but it does bring up a lot of good memories and dreams for future trips. Growing up in Florida, summer lasted almost 11 months in a year. Also, growing up in Florida meant that once you could drive, you kept a chair and a towel and swimsuit in the trunk of your car. Never let a good and free day pass you by without thinking about going to the beach.
Then you become an adult. And you have kids. Now you need a lot more than a big towel and sunscreen to go to the beach. You need snacks and a cooler with drinks. You need several towels because each child needs one to sit on and one to use when they dry off. Better bring some toys, too. Nothing ruins a relaxing beach day like bored kids.
Let’s talk about sunscreen, sunburn, and aloe. If you grew up in a coastal state, you’ve been sunburnt at least once. Most of us have been a red lobster more than we care to admit. You know the drill when you get home: cold shower, lather on the hair conditioner, pat dry, drown yourself in aloe, and take some Tylenol. Then be prepared to not sleep all night, and in a few days watch as the first layer of your skin peels off like you’re a lizard.
Okay. It doesn’t have to be that way. I found this cool beach tent that provides shade and is super easy to put up. Well, my oldest daughter found it first. I just found a bigger one. It has air vents and these awesome pockets on the bottom you fill with sand so it won’t blow away. Of course, it came with stakes but who knows where those ended up in my garage.
There are so many reasons to love the beach! The feel of the sun on my skin, the sand between my toes, the salty water that is refreshing and sticky, the sound of the waves, the scent of cheap suntan lotion, and the fact that you barely have to wear any clothes are all reasons to spend the day at the beach. If you have the willpower to get up early, a beach sunrise is amazing! If you are watching the waves and the sun in the opposite direction, there is nothing like a beautiful sunset over the water. No matter the time of day or even the weather, the beach is my happy place.
This is the point where I add some photos to embarrass my children. Enjoy our beach trips over the years and remember: it’s better to put on sunscreen before you get to the beach, and even if it’s overcast, the UV rays will find you and burn your skin if it’s not covered up with sunscreen, a hat, clothes, or you are inside the beach tent.
Here we are with the tent! She’s also demonstrating the art of covering up with her t-shirt….and she stole my chair. Our cooler is making good use of the tent’s shade.One of the many shrimps on Amelia IslandAll four of my girls, in order by age“Just get your feet wet!” But the wave thought otherwise.
The beach is our happy place, but we also like all things outdoors. Especially soccer, cheerleading, and running. Check out our Amazon search list “Things we like to do.”
People always think I’m joking when they ask me, “what do you do for a hobby?” And I reply, “I watch soccer and cheerleading.” When you have two very active athletes living at home, you don’t have time to do much more than watch them live their best life. I like to read books and watch movies, but I’ve had to switch to audio books that I can listen to anywhere.
All of my children played sports and had many other extracurricular activities while growing up. I’m down to two at home, and they seem to be pushing the limits on the costs and amount of time needed to do what they love doing. Yes, they love competing. Win or lose, the thrill of performing on a big stage or playing in a big stadium is what keeps them going.
Living in small town Georgia, participating in sports at a high level requires travel. Travel requires time and money. It also requires balancing a calendar of events, and sometimes, it requires having to choose which child gets to have you in attendance this week. Until someone figures out how to make a clone or a real hologram, I can’t be at two places at once.
In order to survive this chaos of multiple children in different sports, I’ve had to learn a few things.
Make friends! Meet the other parents on the team and get to know at least one of them well enough that you would trust them with your child’s care. Many times over the last few years, my girls have traveled to a competition or game with another family. Sometimes they had to stay the night (or two) in a hotel. Finding the right fit for your child is important. Trusting the other family to treat them as one of their own will make your life slightly less stressful. It is also nice to have friends to hang with during those long weekends far from home.
2. Ask for help! Yes, you need to make trustworthy and caring friends. What’s even harder is taking that next step and asking for help. Most people will happily help you with transportation and looking out for your child for an away game or competition. We all want to be there all the time for our kids, but many of us have conflicting sports schedules and even work requirements that make it nearly impossible to be there for all of them. If one family says no, be prepared to ask another one. Just ask!
3. Make a family calendar. Between practices, games, competitions, classes, doctor’s appointments, club meetings, and whatever else life throws at us, it is imperative to write it all down. One calendar that’s big enough to post it all will make things easier to coordinate. It will also give you an idea of why you always feel like you are being pulled in 12 directions….because you probably are. This will help when you are making future appointments and also gives you a heads up when someone is going to need a ride.
Sometimes it also helps the child to see they have planned events that overlap, and someone is going to have to make decision. This gets even harder when they are on multiple teams in the same sport…yes, that’s a thing. My daughter plays soccer year round. Before high school, there were times when she was on three teams in the same time period. The state rules that say you can’t play outside of the high school team during the high school season is a blessing in disguise.
Make a calendar of all activities and include: child’s name, event name, time, and if they need a ride. Sometimes you also need to add location.
4. Take a deep breath! You can’t do it all. You can’t be at every single game when you work and have other children. This is even more difficult if you are doing this as a single parent.
You can control how you react to the busy schedule. Don’t let your kids see how stressed you are over their activities. Their focus should be on doing their best and having fun….not worrying about how they are going to get there. Learn to control your emotions and plan ahead to avoid last minute panic.
Do something for yourself. Take a deep breathe! Go to the gym while they are at practice. Go get a pedicure while they are taking an extra class to be better at their sport. Get yourself a snack to enjoy while you sit waiting in the parking lot. Don’t forget: they need you to be at your best, so they can be at their best.
Self-care is real and is a requirement. Along with planning ahead.
5. Create a budget. This should probably be first on the list. Sports are expensive. Club soccer has expensive fees and expensive travel. Competitive cheer has the most expensive fees and even ridiculous expensive travel. Once these big cities find out there’s a cheer comp coming to town, they jack the prices up to obscene rates. For example, an upcoming comp in Atlanta is going to cost me over $400 a night just for the hotel. Fortunately, we can get there by car in three hours. I can’t even imagine the costs for those teams coming from out of state.
School sports are not free either. Team dues and fundraisers will take a toll if you don’t budget for those items. I never want my kids to say they couldn’t do something because we couldn’t afford it. However, budgeting the costs along with household expenses is necessary to ensure at the end of the day you still have a house to live in.
The little extra costs add up as well….a t-shirt here, a fast food meal or two or three, new cleats or new cheer shoes, practice wear and the actual uniform. Make a budget and stick to it. And…do as I say, not as I do. We still struggle in this area!
Those are my top 5. I’m sure there are many more ways to make life as a sports parent easier. I can think of a few more: organize equipment in your garage, keep all uniform parts together in their own bag (Lululemon bags work great for this), keep in touch with the coaches and booster club, and meal plan.
At the end of the day, they grow up way too quick. I’m on my last two at home. One day there will be no more practices, no more sporting event road trips, no more late night laundry, and no more smelly gear in my car. And when that day comes, I will miss it all! But…I can finally read all those books I keep buying and placing in my bookshelves. And….I can buy a car that doesn’t require a huge storage area and seating for 7.
After a long break from writing, I’m back. And ready to give my followers some much needed love and attention! We won’t talk about why I had taken a long break from my blog, but 2023 is the year we are coming back stronger than ever.
Fort Walton Beach, Florida
Strength is built from experience—both the good times and the bad ones we want to forget. Like child birth and pregnancy, the positive outcomes outweigh the pain and discomfort. We remember the good experiences and treasure that feeling of happiness and glory. We are tormented by the bad experiences and haunted by that feeling of failure or sadness or fear. Today, we take all those memories and we navigate life based on all that has happened in the past.
However, we can’t let the past define us. It’s true that the past has molded and created the person we are today. But that doesn’t have to be where the story ends. Living in the present and realizing we have the power to build and shape our future self gives us the power to push back on the old you and to welcome the new you that is going to kick some ass and be successful while also burning bridges and creating new paths!
Just a few years ago….ok, 31 years ago, I was a single, pregnant, senior in college, and soon to be Army Officer. On the same day, I learned I was pregnant and I had been assessed Air Defense Artillery plus chosen to serve on active duty. Back in the early 90s, that’s 1990s for you younger folks, it was hard to get active duty from an ROTC program. Later that year, I had a beautiful baby girl while also taking summer classes. I missed 4 days of class after I had the baby, and returned to finish the semester with straight As! For those that know me, that was my best semester GPA during undergrad. Much later that year, I graduated with a BA in political science and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army. 1992 was a hard year for me even with the bonus of a new daughter and successfully obtaining my goal of going into the Army after graduating from the mighty fine college institution known as “the” University of Florida. Go Gators!
Go Gators!
Let me explain….a few weeks before I found out I was pregnant, my boyfriend of 2 1/2 years broke up with me. Should not have been a complete surprise as we had been open to seeing other people the previous few months. However, maybe it was the pregnancy hormones or maybe it was the immaturity of being 20 years old and pregnant, but the break up hit me hard. A month later, I’m pregnant and living alone in a small apartment since the sorority house asked me to move out when they learned I was pregnant. I had taken in-completes the previous fall semester because I had been so sick, which we later learned was first trimester morning sickness and not the flu. So trying to finish the fall semester while taking new classes in the spring semester plus moving and accepting my new life challenges, I sat home at night with my pregnant self and cried. Yes, I cried a lot when I was pregnant. But I also did so much better in school that year since all I did was go to class and study….and make late night runs to McDonald’s since I had a craving for Big Macs often. It was a tough time with a positive outcome.
Yes, it was a positive outcome! That beautiful daughter gave me a beautiful granddaughter in 2022! I went from being “Mom to “Gigi” early one morning last June! Let’s skip back in the story, I married the baby daddy in January of 1993 and had two more kids. My only biological son and my second daughter. While that marriage ended with my first divorce (yes, I have two divorces under my belt), the amazing children that came from that relationship trumps the pain of divorce. Additionally, my son gave me a grandson in November of 2022! Yes, I’m now the proud grandparent of both Milli and Hunter. My heart is bursting with love and pride! Definitely a positive outcome for 1992!
Baby shower for my oldest daughter…my son and youngest daughter missing from the family photo
My point….for a brief few months in 1992, I thought my world was crashing in on me. The waves of depression and anxiety were overwhelming. But looking back, I rode those waves like a professional surfer and won the best trophy in life—-family! I gave birth to 5 kids plus won a bonus step-son. I now have a son-in-law and a daughter-in-law as well as “Adam”, also known as my daughter’s boyfriend. I have TWO grandchildren. And not to brag, both of my parents and my step-dad are still healthy and doing this adventure called life. Despite the many crashes and bruises I’ve acquired over the years, I’m winning!
I’m winning and I’m back! Ready to take on 2023! Ready to share My Awesome Disaster of a life with my followers and new readers. Let’s put the past behind us, treasure the gift of today, and not focus too hard on tomorrow. As cliche as it is, “Life is short” and we need to face each day like it could be our last! Thrive instead of just living! Let’s go ride the big waves and win this competition!
How do you manage a holiday calendar when you have five kids, two of them in middle school? You don’t. At least not without help.
Annual Christmas pajamas photo, 2015.
As we get closer to Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Eve, and whatever holiday you celebrate, our schedules are full with school programs and school lunches and special events. Throw in some winter soccer and a cheer competition, and you realize you need a clone. But just wait…it gets even more chaotic. Two weeks of travel for work during the month of December. And, I must add a college graduation for my oldest child.
Breathe! My meditation app, Headspace, reminds me throughout the day to take a moment to relax. The holidays can be so overwhelming. A period of time that is supposed to be filled with joy and laughter and memory making events can create anxiety and sleepless nights that destroy the merry in Christmas. And before you know it, it’s January.
Ask for help! I know I can’t be two places at once. I definitely can’t be three places at the same time. My two very active middle schoolers need a ride somewhere several times a day. School, after school club meetings, practice, games, extra practice, dentist appointments, and every other thing that pops up on the calendar requires transportation. Family and friends are the only way I can get everyone where they need to be on a daily basis.
Write it down! Maybe it’s my age, maybe it’s the busy schedule, but I seem to forget details frequently. What time are we supposed to be there? What day was that appointment? Are we wearing red or grey today? If I don’t write it down right away in my calendar, we probably won’t be there unless someone sends me a Remind message.
By the way, the Remind app is about the best thing ever invented for teachers and coaches to send updates and reminders. I still read the messages several times before we leave the house, and sometimes when my 13 year old is making me doubt myself, I will check the uniform color two or three times while I’m driving the 35 miles to a soccer game, knowing it’s too late at this point even if she is wearing the wrong color. Side note: she’s learned to always keep the other color uniform in her soccer bag because sometimes I still get it wrong.
Plan, plan, plan! My job requires me to spend months planning and then while we are executing the mission, we start planning the next one. I think I’m pretty good at it. However, when it comes to planning my personal and family schedule, I’m not always as organized. Yes, I write it down in the calendar. Yes, I wait until the last minute to ask a friend to give my kids a ride somewhere. Maybe my calendar should also have an excel spreadsheet attached to it with the logistics required for each event. Which reminds me…did I make that hotel reservation yet for the out of town cheer competition? Did I make my flight reservations for that other work trip? I’m thinking we need a family conference call to figure out where everyone is eating on Thanksgiving.
In the end, I know it will all work out. There may be a few tears shed. One of my kids will probably release some stress and tell me how I messed something up or embarrassed them. Middle schoolers can be too honest at times. With the help of my family, friends, and even my co-workers, we will survive the holidays. I’ll wish I took more pictures and I’ll wish I asked others to share more pictures. But life will keep moving forward…we just need to hang on for the ride, and remember to enjoy it! After all, it’s the most wonderful time of the year according to the Christmas carols already playing on my radio.
Fall is my favorite time of the year…OK, my second favorite time of the year. Christmas will always win, for so many reasons and on so many levels. That’s a discussion for later in the blog. Today is the first of October and while not officially the first day of Fall, it is the day we feel safe to start putting up the season’s decorations.
Here are my top 10 reasons why I like this wonderful season that is also known as Autumn.
1.The FEEL of Fall. The temperature’s are slightly cooler. Here in Georgia that means they are in the 80s instead of the 90s and 100s. Not cold, but we can feel the difference. In other parts of the country and world, it is really a comfortable season. Temps in the 60s and 70s. Almost sweater weather. Usually, the humidity starts to decrease as well. I can walk outside and not immediately start sweating. While living in the South means that there are still days that feel like Summer, there are days that just feel like….well, Fall. Breezy, cooler and dryer air that just makes you want to go for a nice walk.
Walking barefoot on a nice Fall day
2. The COLOR of Fall. In some parts of the country, the leaves change pretty colors like orange and yellow and red. While this signals that the leaves are “falling”, these colors also represent joy and passion and optimism. They can increase your energy levels and stimulate creativity. Really—who can look at a photo of colorful autumn leaves and not smile? People will drive miles just to see this phenomenon of the changing colors. A beautiful view for that nice walk if you live far enough north to see the changing of the leaves. Sorry to say that the pine trees in South Georgia do not change colors. And the pine needles fall year round. We still get to enjoy the Fall colors in many other ways.
Fall decorations with South Georgia snow…also known as cotton
3. HALLOWEEN. Do I really need to explain this one? Candy. Costumes. Trick-or-Treat. Happy children. Halloween is really challenging Christmas when it comes to decorating. There’s blow-up pumpkins and ghosts to display in your yard. Orange and purple lights to string around your house. Yard decorations of all types—headstones, spider webs, spiders, brooms, witches, ghosts, and many more. I enjoy going out with my kids to collect candy from our neighbors. It is also a lot of fun to hand out candy and to see all the adorable and creative costumes that kids wear while they walk or ride around the neighborhood. While it is intended to be a spooky event, Halloween is a lot of fun. And….did I mention I really like candy?
Two of my favorite Super Heroes dressed up for Halloween
4. Great time for PIE. I like pumpkin pie. I love sweet potato pie. Pecan pie is pretty good, too. There’s also apple pie and chocolate pie. One year for Thanksgiving, I had to make a Jam Pie. My little girls were big fans of that annoying TV show “Max and Ruby” at the time. Max and Ruby’s grandma made jam pie for Thanksgiving, so we had to have jam pie, too. I thought it was going to be a challenge since I didn’t realize it was a real thing. It wasn’t the easiest to make since the ingredients weren’t common baking items. Who has crumbled almond paste sitting around in their kitchen? It was delicious. I’ve added the link, in case you want to try it or maybe you have Max and Ruby fans that are going to put you on the spot one day and demand jam pie, too.
5. Multiple events to spend time with FAMILY. I already mentioned Halloween. I think I have one or two more years of experiencing this fun night with my kids. But there’s also long weekends and Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving was a huge family event when I was growing up. Multiple generations would gather at my grandma’s house or our house or another relative’s house. There would be more food than we could possibly eat in one whole meal. We couldn’t even eat it all in one day. There would be backyard wiffle ball games and possibly a bon fire if we were celebrating at the right house. We would get to see aunts and uncles and cousins. It isn’t quite the same now, but no matter where we are—whether it is our family or a friend’s family—there are lots of people and lots of food which equals good times and happy memories.
The girls got to enjoy a little snow last Thanksgiving. We definitely were NOT in Georgia.
6. College FOOTBALL. To be even more specific—SEC College Football. I am a huge Florida Gator fan. (Hope I didn’t just lose a few followers….) Living in Georgia, sometimes I feel like I have to apologize for my faithfulness to the Orange and Blue. However, I’m not just a fan. I’m also a graduate of the THE University of Florida. Not to be confused with those other schools in Florida that also have fine football programs and produce wonderful college graduates that I call friends. If you have never attended a college game in person, you are missing out! I don’t care what team you root for or what game you attend, the atmosphere in a large college stadium is electrifying and exciting. I usually take my girls to one game a year, and I choose a home game against a “no-name” team to ensure its a win. Winning games are so much more fun than losing games. They don’t play the fight song and set off fireworks for losers. Please don’t plan all your birthday parties and get togethers on a Saturday afternoon in the Fall. That’s just disrespectful in the South when you know a big SEC game is playing at three on CBS.
Florida Football game. Free tickets aren’t always the best seats.
7. The pretty DECORATIONS. I already mentioned I like the colors and I like Halloween. The decorations that symbolize Fall are just beautiful. Wreaths with orange and red and yellow leaves. Scare crows wearing cute straw hats and overalls. The harvest symbols like a cornucopia filled with corn and squash and pumpkins. Jack-o-lanterns made out of pumpkins are fun and festive. I don’t actually enjoy making them…since I get stuck doing all the hard work like cleaning out the pumpkin guts and seeds. Scented candles with fragrances like pumpkin spice, cinnamon apple, vanilla caramel, and praline pecan make your home smell delicious while also decorating the place with Fall colors. I already mentioned them, but pumpkins are everywhere when it comes to Fall decorations.
8. Time of RENEWAL. Just like the changing color of the leaves which eventually fall off the tree, we all need a time to shed our extra baggage. Maybe its time to lose some weight before the heavy eating of the holidays. Maybe its time for a change. While the leaves fall in the Fall, they come back in the Spring with vibrance and new color. We all know about Spring cleaning, but Fall is time for renewal. A time to reflect on what we want as the calendar year comes to an end. Update the bucket list. Start a new hobby. Go on vacation. Find your purpose while the Fall colors are around….remember those colors increase energy and inspire creativity. It is a great time of year to start running or increase your distance. The weather is better, and there’s lots of great races in the Fall and Spring to provide you with a running goal. Don’t let the start of the shorter days get you down. Take this season to make a new and better you.
9. The HAHIRA HONEYBEE FESTIVAL. The first weekend in October is always the Hahira Honeybee Festival. If you aren’t from South Georgia, you have no idea what I’m talking about, and you are truly missing out. The parade, the food, the 5K, the music performances, the arts and crafts for sale, and the friendly people make this an exceptional event. Where else can you eat fried gator tail on a stick while also indulging in Italian ice and funnel cake. And that is just a few of the many food vendors that are out there selling their specialties. My small town has a few thousand residents. But on the Saturday of the weeklong Honeybee Festival there are nearly 30,000 people walking up and down Main Street enjoying the parade and all that the vendors have to offer. The 2019 Honeybee Festival is this week! And of course, there’s also honey for sell from multiple vendors!
Some Hahira Honeybee Queens enjoying the parade
10. It is ALMOST CHRISTMAS! I mentioned in the beginning that Christmas is my favorite time of the year. It is slowly but surely overlapping with Fall. Some stores already have their Christmas displays out with the pretty lights and fake trees. I have heard people complain about the early set-up of holiday decorations. It does seem to creep right up on everything else, like Summer, Halloween, and Thanksgiving. Christmas is exciting for so many reasons. The lights, the decorations, the pretty trees, the songs, the music, the gifts, and the parties are all reason to feel merry and jolly. There’s also the reason for the season: the birth of Jesus Christ. Growing up in a Christian family we learned that the birth of Jesus was just as important to celebrate as was the arrival of Santa Claus. When my older kids were really young, we would make cupcakes on Christmas Eve to celebrate Jesus’ birthday. We also left out a plate of cookies and a beer for Santa. Yes, Santa got a beer at our house….and believe it or not, it was the kids’ idea. Almost Christmas is a wonderful time of the year….second best to the actual real Christmas.
At least our Elves wait until December to show up at our house
