Is the Holiday Spirit exhaustion?

The Holiday has landed

Dec 07, 2025

As I sit here in World Headquarters, my bed, Gidget snores gently next me. Otherwise, I am alone. It’s 9:23 and I have been reading the paper, just looked at Melissa McCartney’s SNL dialogue (not her best, but she’s better than everyone, so still wonderful), and about to delve into my kid’s Holiday lists.

Pel is driving to Maine right now to take his mom to get a tree. He got me my coffee, which I woke up to. It’s still warm. Gidget too, is still warm and asleep in a little dog ball. She’s fourteen and is sleeping a lot more. The sun is pouring into my room, which makes me happy. After replacing the entire heating system in our house last year, it’s warm in our bedroom for the first time ever, which is a Christmas miracle.

So tired

In the past week I have:

Brought a bunch of art to a gallery at Elizabeth Home Decor (best gift store around for home)
Attended two non profit board meetings
Took a crib back to a friend’s storage facility (long story)
Attended a “greens workshop” (See frog above)
Hosted 60 people at my home for our local garden club holiday gig (full decor of home)
Hosted a ladies Holiday get-together for 20 the next day (easy when you had to do the above and ordered tea sandwiches)
Sent two kids, a boyfriend and a niece off, post Thanksgiving break
Attended my own open studio at SOWA Boston for the past three days with no end in site ‘til the 19th. It’s fun…comes see! 450 Harrison Ave #308
Volunteered at The School at the Museum of Fine Arts (SMFA) annual ArtSale, please stop by!
Gone for a Holiday Stroll in my neighborhood
Gone to a killer annual party of friends we made in our kids’ nursery school class 2004 last night.

And that was the first week of December. physically, I feel like an elated but deflated balloon. My skin, crusty with the lack of humidity is begging for a scrub. This is definitely a pony tail day. My brain is afraid to fully function for fear of what it will discover I have forgotten and things I have yet to do. So, I sit here in the sun and listen to my dog snore with my cold cup of coffee and a New York Times.

How about you?

How has your first week of December been?

Have you started your shopping? Do Tell!

Fat cat in a small box

It took decorating a tree, with all the many boxes in which we keep our bizarre and wonderful collection of ornaments, to create the moment for 7 the cat to squeeze her well fed, sleek furred self into a too-small box. See how she looks a little self conscious? She’s thinking, “this box used to fit me. How depressing. I’m so fat.”

Meet me in the comments!

I’d like to do a piece on kid’s Holiday lists.

We have a tradition of having our kids put together a list every year since they could. For the first twelve or fourteen years they were written by hand and I have every one of them. They are so cute. Then, the kids went tech and did them on their computers, with links, and that is where we are now.

Do your kids still do lists? What do they ask for? Outrageous stuff? Utilitarian? Fantasy? I’d love for you to share and I’ll put together a piece for next week…guaranteed laughs!!