{ Christmastime is HERE! }

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How is it already only three days till Christmas?

Really, where has December gone?

I spent Monday and Tuesday this week bundled up in bed and on the couch, fighting off a nasty cold/flu. It hit me on Sunday evening at work, and I barely did anything besides creep from one sleeping spot to another for the next two days. I'm much better now, though still very sniffly. Thank you Jesus that Mike hasn't gotten it!

Tonight I'm trying to wrap my head around the fact that Christmas is in three days! This month has flown by, I think largely because Mike has been working such long days. Our evenings together have been short and late. It's funny: Last Christmas, I pinned my hopes on 2010: "Next year, when I'm not in this stress/anxiety/illness cycle..." The past few days, I've caught myself doing the same thing for 2011: "Next year, when Mike isn't working two jobs and we have time to do XYZ..." I'm trying ardently to nip such thoughts in the bud; in the midst of all the daily life-ness of this year, this has been a really good Christmas season.

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We're reading through Ann Voskamp's Jesse Tree Advent devotional--not every single day, but since the readings are relatively short it's easy to get caught up.

We've had fun with the Advent tin I made last year; about half the little prompts/notes are new this year. We haven't had time to actually carry out nearly as many of them, but I'm okay with that.

We've "given" Christmas presents to Jesus via the World Vision Gift Catalogue.

We've had a downtown Seattle Christmas date--something I've always wanted to do!

I haven't run out of hours with all the Pandora Christmas music listening I've been doing :-)

Christmas presents were a breeze this year--thank you, Amazon Marketplace! I did the majority of my shopping online this year, and it was so much less stressful than going to actual stores in hopes of finding a gift that would be at least somewhat appropriate. Even with paying for shipping, I'm sure that with the time I saved, it was worth it.

Last night we watched The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader with friends. {By the time it was over, I had a pile of wadded-up napkins I'd used to blow my nose. I hope the people around me didn't mind!} It was in 3D, too--my first time. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. Much as I love the cinematic beauty of it, and think Aslan is absolutely spot-on, I will always have a special place in my heart for the old BBC version.

Advent candles lit, rosemary rolls fresh out of the oven, chicken barley soup simmering on the stove--I think it's time to close this post and enjoy some real-life Christmas cheer!