Holiday hits and misses

The holiday lights are packed away, the tree is long gone, and I’ve caught my annual post-Christmas cold: It must be January! I’ve been absent lately, because December completely knocked me on my duff. With Steve’s basketball coaching season in full swing, time to myself is pretty scarce these days (and I’ve been busy with work…didja happen to catch me on TV?).

Now that the holidays have passed, the tangled mess that is our family calendar is starting to smooth out a bit. I may not be posting all that much until basketball season ends, but in the meantime, here are some hits and misses of Holiday Season 2011. Hope your holiday season was merry and bright...ours was!

HIT: Princess Fishing Pole

Bianca’s favorite holiday present was a real fishing pole (which, to be clear, is NOT to be used in concert with her other gift, the goldfish.) She is perfectly aware that she won’t be able to use the fishing pole until this summer, when it’s warm enough to fish outside. That doesn’t diminish her love for the thing; she’s content to admire it in its packaging and wait patiently to fish with her daddy. This girl can delay gratification better than most adults I know.

MISS: Goldfish

Bianca asked Santa for a pet of her own, and he obliged by bringing her the most low-maintenance pet we could think of: Two fifty-cent goldfish from the neighborhood pet shop. Except we were wrong about the low-maintenance part. These things need to be fed THREE times a day and their water turns murky without daily cleaning. I'm telling you, they're as much work as the cats, without the lovable factor. And they're...loud. Imagine someone making a constant pop-pop-pop sound with their lips, or the drip-drip-drip of a leaky faucet, combined with the occasional—I swear—chirping noise. It’s bizarre! Lucky for these two ("Starra" and "Nia," and no, I don't know which is which) the kids like them, so they're staying. For now.

HIT: Play shopping cart

Santa brought Mia a new Melissa and Doug shopping cart, and the thing is freaking adorable. I love it. It’s all stainless steel, perfectly proportioned for a toddler, and it handles better than 99 percent of the shopping carts I end up with in grocery stores. I know this because I’ve been playing “store” with my girls almost every day since Christmas. Another win was B's new solar-powered toy cash register. It teaches addition and subtraction, holds all of our play money, and accepts (fake) credit cards with a satisfying beep: What's not to love?

MISS: Last-minute shopping

After spending one long, brutal 9-hour day shopping for Christmas gifts, I decided that I’ve had enough of last-minute holiday prep. There is absolutely no reason to try to cram all Christmas preparation into the month between Black Friday and Christmas Eve. So I’m DONE with the last-minute craziness. In 2012 I’ll be preparing for Christmas year-round. Look for my “12 Month Holiday To-Do List” in an upcoming post. I’m serious—no more last minute shopping for me! And to prove it, I’ve already bought next year’s holiday cards and a few stocking stuffers, too (shopping for stockings is always the proverbial last straw for me).

Our Christmas was great, and I'm thinking next year will be even better, what with my exceptional preparation and my new knowledge about the pitfalls of goldfish. Happy New Year, all!