A Heck of A Week And Coping With Christmas

(As in, Christmas is HELPING us cope!!)

This past week has been uber rough on my family. Thankfully, Steven's been great support. I stayed up late Wednesday night, expecting to work Thursday.

No sooner had my head touched the pillow Thursday morning than my Mom called. My Grams--the one with Alzheimer's--had been walking through the small community she lived in towards a Christmas Bingo Party and slipped on a patch of ice. Through some miracle, she had her phone on her, and she called my mother; then, she waited on Mom to come pick her up out of the street. Mom was at the hospital I work at nearly an hour before I was able to get there.

And, it was already official--Grams had broken her femur. As we were changing her and preparing her for admission, I noticed my mom holding her hand funny.

"Mom...what's up with the hand?" I asked, gesturing with my head. She shrugged, a little sheepishly.
"My dogs,"(a weinie dog and a yorkie) "Got into a little scuffle yesterday morning. I broke them up." When I insisted she remove the band-aid, it nearly took  my breath. Her finger was ravaged, and the whole hand was rapidly swelling, sending angry red streaks out from the wound and up her hand.

Long story short--they were both admitted within four hours of one another. (To top it off, Security came and got me around 3 am...I had three flat tires on the ground.)

 

AND, yet....

It's Christmas time. :) Which, I'm obsessed with, truly. I love everything about it. This year, Steven and I are a little broke, and, really, I want to get away from the constant money, money, money that Christmas seems to be leaning towards...so, I've had a genius idea.

We're doing a Santa Photobooth. I've made loads and loads of props to choose from, and, patient Steven and I have gone all around our family and closest friends, snapping photos. Some with props, some without--most times, we follow up the photoshoot with a game night, which is always a blast.

 

And, despite most people's reluctance to participate, I doubt if I've ever been so excited about a Christmas. At the end, everyone will get a Christmas picture of themselves, and I'm going to make a Christmas 2013 Shutterfly book to have and look back on.

I love the idea of gifting "good times"; I'm looking forward to the laughs as everyone looks back over their pictures, and the pictures of sweet family. It's going to be great! And, it's cost us next to nothing!!

Today, we did Grams, even though she was in the hospital. My "cousin"--more like a sister--and I took my "nephew", C, (one year old) up and a big Happy Birthday Banner, since today was her b-day also. She posed cheerfully with tinsel and top hats and reindeer antlers and a little red nose. She kissed my sweet C under the mistletoe, with me looking on, one hand over my mouth and huge, wide eyes. It was great to see her light up as she chose her props. Can't wait for our friends' photoshoot tomorrow!!