I know I’m a party pooper, but I seriously hate this time of year. I do my best to get into the mood of the season, but for the most part I feel alienated and lonely.

Possibly I have a bit of SAD going on, and the weather has been typically winter dreary most of the week. The sun was out briefly this morning and I opened the front door to let it stream in and allow the cats to peer at the outside world through the safety of the storm door glass.

I packed up a flurry of last minute orders from Magickware.com and headed out of the house to run my morning errands in good spirits. Fill up the gas tank on the car, swing by K-mart and pick up some meds, finish off by shipping out the packages over at the post office. The wind was fierce and whipped around me while I was filling up the tank. The price of gas has dropped dramatically so I was able to do it for less than a king’s ransom. I drove over to K-Mart and decided I’d better get some non-denominational, un religious cards to send out to friends and family who don’t celebrate Christmas. I wanted something cute and happy. I like cute and happy.

After berating myself for yet another year when I didn’t complete a painting for holiday cards, I poured over the shelves of boxed cards. They had cute. They had happy. Only ALL the cute and/or happy cards had santas or verses inside wishing the recipient a Merry Christmas. I ended up with a basic winter woodland painting type thing with what is in all likelihood a couple of deer. All very bland. But not blatantly Christmassy. I have since lost motivation to address and write short notes in them today. Maybe tomorrow I’ll be in a more holidayish mood.

My husband and I had made tentative plans to welcome back the sun this year by walking on the river banks, but seems that the weather will be dangerously cold on Sunday night. We would be better off staying home instead of tempting possible frost bite down on the edge of the river. So I asked the family what they’d rather do instead. “I dunno” was the unanimous response.

I will make my infamous almond crescent cakes on Sunday. My step-sons would never forgive me if I failed to provide them. One year I was having a difficult time finding almond flour and one of my sons said he would grind the almonds himself if he had to, so we would not go without the confection.

The pile of presents is all wrapped and awaiting delivery to their recipients. Last night, instead of working on my December coloring page, I helped my daughter complete her holiday gifts for her school mates. I spent the evening crocheting a long skinny red scarf.

Maybe I’ll finish my holiday painting tomorrow and send it instead of the lame winter scene I settled for at the store.

Oh, and my X called me by accident when trying to call his girl friend. I think my amusement at his expense didn’t go over very well. But, hey, I wasn’t the one calling the wrong number and asking for someone who isn’t me. Bwahaha. My husband thought it was as humorous as I did.

Winter officially begins on Sunday and I find myself longing for the stirrings of spring already. Maybe it will snow. I like the snow. I miss a real snowfall. A dreary winter day is all so much prettier under a blanket of white fluff. Building a snowman would be fun…