Have yourself a merry little Christmas...

In case you missed my post last year about my favorite Christmas movie, Meet Me In St. Louis, here's a little reminder.

I'm actually bummed, because it hasn't been on TV anywhere I can find this year. Ugh! I thought I'd taped it, but I can't find it. I guess I need to break down and buy the DVD. Which means ordering it because I can't find it in stores.

Although... is anyone else in dire need of some Christmas spirit? I'm ready to boycott going to stores altogether. I did more online shopping this year than ever, and I think next year will go almost exclusively that route. I'm really tired of the grumpy salespeople (and yes, I've worked retail at Christmas, so I GET the stress they're under- just don't take it out on customers!). And I'm tired of mean shoppers. And I'm tired of the mayhem.

Today I went to the grocery store and I was so mad at this lady in the parking lot, I almost pulled over, got out of my car and gave this woman a stern talking to. She was in such a hurry to "beat me to" a good parking that she nearly ran over three different people, not to mention blocked traffic from every direction so no one could move for five minutes, and then she nearly hit two cars. The sad thing was, I wasn't even after that parking spot. I was just trying to get my kids home. Is a good parking spot really worth endangering so many? I made a vow at the beginning of the holiday season that I was going to leave the good spots for someone else. I deliberately park farther out because I don't like messing with people like the lady I encountered today. I just hope that people figure out a way to exercise more caution without someone getting hurt.

On top of that, it's been a hard Christmas season for us- I've had sick kids, a kid with head lice, and a hubby who's been working like a maniac. So we've been housebound for a while now. I don't want to ruin anyone else's Christmas by getting them sick or my kid giving them lice, so we've stayed home. I also have to be thankful that with so many out of work, at least hubby has work. And I am truly thankful. Just going a little crazy. But then, because things can't get any crazier, I've had all kinds of weird computer things going on. Every day since Friday, something weird has happened computer-wise. Stuff that's keeping me from getting any work done. Even though it's making me really grumpy, I can't help but be thankful that I have enough flexibility with my job that I can still make it work.

So even though this holiday season is not going as planned, I am choosing to have myself a Merry Little Christmas anyway. As inconvenient as things have been for us over the past few days, and as much as I do not feel ready for it to be Christmas, I think of my favorite Christmas movie, and the song, and that what really matters is that we all will be together. And even without all the stuff and trappings of the holiday, we still have the most incredible gift of Jesus' birth.

I hope you all have yourselves a merry little Christmas too! If you happen to be out and get one of the good parking spots, consider that my gift to you. Oh, and the fact that my kids didn't get yours sick or give them lice. Merry Christmas!