[updated] It’s the Saturday before Christmas –

And Lindsay is crabby.

I think I’m crabby because, once again, I’m realizing how different Christmas is as a pastor, and at this point, I’m having a hard time thinking it’s a good kind of different.  I’m crabby because my tree is empty and bare; it’s just not much fun to decorate without comrades.   [It does however have a gnome on its top.  That makes me not crabby.]  I’m crabby because I accidently dropped and broke my candy thermometer last night.  Hrmph.

But, instead of dwelling there, let’s talk about how we go out of crabby.  When you’re having a no-good, horrible day, how do you make it change?

Me?

Well, to start, I pull out my favorite Christmas mug.  This was given to me by my Grandma Julie a couple years ago.  I add coffee and – wait for it – peppermint marshmallows.  [The ones I made last night when I accidently dropped my candy thermometer.]  I don’t care for store marshmallows but homemade ones?  Delicious.

Next, I’ll probably spend time in my happy place: my sewing room.  I’ll wait eagerly for the mail and hope that the fabric I ordered [thanks to WELCA and their birthday/Christmas gift!] will be there.  Then I will iron it and fold it and and organize it three times.

I will play the pandora dance/pop music station ridiculously loud.  I will dance and do the dishes.  Mabel always takes this type of music and my dancing as an invitation to wrestle.  I guess my dancing is that bad?

And you know what?  I blog.  Because I already feel less crabby, just talking to you.  Life isn’t all bah humbug, but we have our moments, right?  This morning was one of mine.  Thanks for helping me get out of the funk.  I hope your Saturday has not even the tiniest bit of crabby.  [But if it does, dancing with flailing arms always seems to help.]

Update:  I have fun friends who tolerate and pity me in my crabbiness.  This afternoon I received an invite to a pizza picnic!  My gnome friends who now live in Owatonna invited me over to eat pizza while sitting on the floor [The picnic part was serious, peeps.] and watching The Polar Express.  It was probably the cutest thing I’ve done in a long time.  As long as the weekly pizza picnic isn’t copyrighted or trademarked or whatnot [Aaron?  Sabrina?  Have you copyrighted that cuteness so you earn royalties?  You could design a special pizza picnic blanket for families to buy or something!], I plan on stealing that in my future.   [You know, Mabel and I sitting on the floor by ourselves eating dinner.]  It was a great way to combat any crabby that continued through my day!