the annual appearance of Winterheart Coalstocking
December 18, 2008

Just not one of my good years, I guess. Even my core joys are not making the grade this Christmas. I'm not getting much of a charge from the cards or the carols, and the cookie baking was only fun because Nephew was there.

And certain things are starting to feel burdensome rather than fun--I never did get the Toys for Tots gifts purchased and dropped off, and I still need to do about 75 percent of my Christmas shopping. The un-fun 75 percent, too. I only really enjoy about a quarter of the gifting, and I've blown through that already.

And going to my nephew's for our family Christmas seems like a chore, as well. Especially as the weather is not making anything easy this year--it seems like we are just having one winter storm after another, and only the briefest of respites in between (if you can call days of sub-zero windchill a "respite").

The latest is due here later this evening, expected to dump a foot or more of heavy, wet snow. Goodness knows how it will be trying to get to work in the morning.

It didn't make me any less grinchy to find out today that the company gift is not going to happen. Despite the fact that it's usually sucky and cheap anyway, I do kind of expect one. But this year, we got Costanza'd. We got an email from the CEO saying that they were taking the gift budget and donating it to a food bank. At least they didn't have the balls to say they were giving it to The Human Fund.

Happy Festivus. So when's the airing of grivances?