I spent three hours cleaning the cat area at the store this morning. Then I made phone calls to arrange a trip to Manhattan for about a dozen girls and moms. So hubby and the girls get to drag the tree in from the shed and decorate it. I’m taking a shower.

One of these days I need to re-write a classic Christmas Song as a New Jersey version. It’ll start, “I’m dreaming of a wet Christmas. . .” Almost every year it’s rain. Well, at least we don’t have to shovel it.

I do have to head up to a shopping plaza today, though, because Audrey needs to go gift shopping. I have to do it because I’m far more tolerant of waiting in lines than hubby is. The downside for him is that I might end up spending money, whereas he’d be in and out with nothing that wasn’t on his list. MUHAHAHAHA! Worst of all, this shopping plaza has not only a Barnes and Noble, but a shoe store. . .

Monday night, the band is playing at a local Catholic church for Christmas Eve services. One of the kids refuses to go because he’s a satanist. Good thing – there could be a major battle between the two imaginary friends right there if he went. How silly.

All the presents are wrapped, I just need to get hubby a bottle of sake to stuff his stocking, and decide what I need to buy at the supermarket so we can hole ourselves up and ignore the rest of the world for a few days.

I had meant to link to this before, but it seems rather apropos to do it now, after the war against greed post. Ezra Klein, writing in the American Prospect, had an interesting piece on Thanksgiving. He subtitled it, “You may not know it, but you want to avoid the upcoming crush of Christmas consumerism. Let Thanksgiving be your guide.” It’s an interesting article about what really makes people happy, and it encourages us to stop thinking about our happiness being enhanced by possessions. Give it a read.