Goodbye 2015, You Mixed Bag Of Wackiness!

Last Updated on: 29th December 2015, 08:20 pm

So yeah. There’s only 2 whole days left in this whirlwind of a year that is 2015. How in the sweet merciful hell did that happen? I feel like I’ve been running on what I thought was a treadmill, but now I realize that it was one of those moving sidewalks in the airport and holy crap did I cover a lot of ground.

I’m getting better at this whole Christmas presents thing. Years ago, when I started working more, I was afraid that I would never be able to pull it off. But I’m doing not half bad, and I’m even proud of the gifts we managed to pull together, and it was fun getting it done. I will say that lots of them included gift cards, but I don’t think that’s being lazy. At least I know the person will get something they like out of the deal, and I knew the gift cards were to places they liked to shop, so awesome.

Also, for the first time ever, I participated in a secret Santa gift exchange that happens on a mailing list I’m on. Other years, I’ve looked at that and thought it was too hard. But another woman who I got to know at the GDB reunion I went to in September, who I joke should have a sales job, convinced me to give it a try, and am I ever glad I did.

I was lucky. The person I got is someone I know a fair bit about, so I felt pretty safe going to get the things I got, and they were a hit. I’ve been watching other people get their Secret Santa gifts, and it’s been neat to go, “Ok, that person could have my name, or that one, or maybe that one.” I still haven’t received my gift, so the suspense continues.

Was there a theme this year in terms of types of presents? Besides gift cards, I don’t think so. Maybe, once we got home for the festivities, there was a bit of a theme of nearly misplacing gifts, but it all worked out in the end. The only one who will have to wait for a gift is Trix, and for that I’m sorry. We bought one, just didn’t pack the damn thing.

I really hope these summaries of our holiday adventures aren’t super boring for people reading. Sometimes I worry when I read other people’s detailed accounts of their Christmas goings on, and find myself reaching for the delete key. I’ll try and keep it brief.

We started hopefully a new tradition this year. My cousin arranged a surprise get-together for my grandma. These last few Christmases, we haven’t gotten together at Grandma’s, and I think it’s making us kind of fall out of the loop with each other.

So, all the grandkids who could manage it showed up at grandma’s and had food and tea and a big chat. Grandma thought some neighbour from days gone by was coming. Boy was she surprised. We said we’d try and do this every year. That would be awesome.

Then it was Steve’s year, so it was time to do the four-Christmas party hop. First, it was Christmas Eve at Steve’s grandparents’ place. I think the most memorable moment was when we all tried to sing a certain Christmas carol, but we all had a different key in mind. O Come all ye tone-deaf, maybe?

Christmas Day was neat. We went to Brad’s place, and had lots of cool finger-food type stuff. It was a nice break from turkey. We got lots of cool gift cards and peanuts and chocolates from Picard’s Peanuts, and I got a housecoat that feels really fuzzy. Good times.

Boxing Day was the party for Steve’s stepdad’s side of the family. It was a nice chance to catch up with folks…and score more Picard’s Peanuts.

And the final stop on the Christmas tour was at Steve’s dad’s place. Thankfully we had no disasters with either the main cooking appliance, or pie fillings gone wrong, although I felt bad, because I was so full that I couldn’t even think about having desserts. There are always tons and tons of leftovers.

So it’s over for another year. We might be going to a little New Years something or other, or my parents might decide to come down, since we didn’t get to see them. But I think we can now take a breath and get ready for next year.

What can I say about this year? It was definitely better than 2014, but it sure started off not in the greatest fashion. I kept jokingly wondering if I had unknowingly broken a mirror somewhere in my travels. Steve’s grandma’s funeral sure didn’t start things off on a happy note, plus I somehow got some kind of infection in my foot. Then Lynne passed away, and I was suddenly informed that my wisdom teeth had to come out. In April and May, I spent more time tired than anything else, but after about June, it really started to pick up, and I started challenging myself to try new things and prove to myself that I was not limited by the evil captain, which thankfully is an illness with a name now. It is at least an illness with a definition, I guess I can say.

I’m going to hope that 2016 is full of happy events. I can’t explain it, but when I think of the year ahead, I find myself filled with a warm, fuzzy optimism. I hope I’m proven correct. Happy New Year to everyone, I hope 2016 is full of happy things.