Tis the season

Christmas is near!!! Christmas is near!!! Hooray! Its only a couple of days after Thanksgiving and everyone is going crazy over CHRISTMAS. As much as I had not planned on getting caught up in the hype, I couldn't resist the temptation to put on my good shoes to go out and join the masses. Unfortunately for me, I actually had to work on Friday. Who the heck has to work the day after Thanksgiving! It SUCKED! I swear, I was literally the only person that came in to work in my department. Unlike all the other smart cookies of the bunch, I didn't opt to take the day off, so I had to come into the office and put in a few good hours. It was o.k. though. There's something to be said for being able to work in peace. No one knocking on my door. No phone calls. No urgent e-mail correspondence. Just me. Leaving me to be the productive worker bee that I am. ;)

After work, P and I headed out to Crabtree Mall in Raleigh. I guess you can say Crabtree mall is one of the better malls out this way. We lucked out on parking, and was able to snatch up a spot immediately. After squeezing out of the driver's side door (b/c the person next to me didn't freak'n know how to park and was nearly half way in my spot) we made our way into the mall. To my surprise, the mall wasn't as crowded as I had expected. Of course there more people there than on a usual Friday, but it wasn't anything like the craziness I was bracing myself for. People were shopping like crazy! Buy! Buy ! Buy! Folks were buying it up! If it was on sale, people were buying it. No matter how tacky the item was. I witnessed many shoppers wasting their money on pointless gifts for their beloved friends and family. You know, the type of gift that when you receive them you say "Awwwww Thank You" trying to sound all enthusiastic forcing a half smile while in your head you're thinking..."Now what in tha' hell am I gonna do with this?" See....I had to be good this year. I'm not one to buy tacky stuff...ok, maybe sometimes...BUT only because I see its potential..lol HOWEVER I am one to snatch up a good deal. I swear SALE & CLEARANCE items beckon me. I'm weak. I'm soooo weak. But like I said, I had to be good, no more frivolous spending for me. I'm still on a mission to find a cute outfit for our annual holiday party next month. Unfortunately, the mission is still not complete....

So, after spending a couple of hours in the mall, I left with a sweater. It's freak'n BLACK FRIDAY, the busiest shopping day of the year, super deals EVERYWHERE, and all I have to show for it is a lousy sweater. I mean, the sweater is cute, but still it's.....just a sweater.

Anyway, enough about that...on to the real reason why I'm writing this blog entry. So as you can see in the picture above, I bought a X-MAS tree!!!! Hooray!!!! I'm so excited!!! o.k....o.k...I have to admit, it's a fake tree, but it's still a x-mas tree none the less. My family has always had x-mas trees in the house while I was growing up but this is my first time having a tree of my own. And if you couldn't tell...I'm EXCITED. I find myself anticipating night to fall so that I can plug in the lights. I'm like a little anxious kid in a shoe store who can't wait to wear their new kicks. You know...the kid that walks out of the store with the new sneakers on and the old shoes they came in with tucked away in the box. I caught myself plugging in the light in the middle of the afternoon because I couldn't wait. Which was prolly really dumb seeing as how no one could see that my lights were on, and I was just adding to my energy bill. But I couldn't help it.

So now I have my holiday decorations all up. I got my tree set up, lights on my balcony, reef on my front door, and poinsettia on my dining room table. And although I won't be out here to celebrate Christmas, seeing the decorations sure puts me in the good mood. Its interesting to see how a my anticipation about x-mas has changed over the years. In the begining I was all excited about the many gifts I was expecting to receive from Santa. Then as I became a little older, the gifts started to decrease, and I had to come to the terms with the fact that Santa (aka my parents) was no longer as generous as he (aka they) used to be. And now, I've come to expect and want no material items. What I want most now for x-mas is to be in the company of family and friends. I crave the laughter, the joy and the happiness of others because I know that their light, their euphoria, and their positve energy will penetrate through me.

2006 has been an interesting year. Lets see what 2007 has to offer. I am believing for great things, and I trust that if I continue to speak it, it will come to fruition. CHEERS!!!

Tis the season!!!