Holiday Home

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I may have contracted a rare brain disease that causes insanity, but I've decided to host a Solstice Party on the 21st. I decided yesterday morning at 7 a.m. and rushed to work to get the invitation out so I couldn't then back out of it.

Every year I tell myself I want to host a Solstice celebration, and every year I don't. This year, I have to. It's official, I've invited people!

Grayson and I went out this past weekend to choose a Christmas tree and got it up and decorated. Grayson insisted on carrying the tree to the register himself. I only had to help a little.

King is still alive. This morning I actually witnessed him eating something, though I'm not sure what. G and I had some shrimp while we were decorating the tree, and I mushed up a bit and put it in the cage near his hidey hole, so maybe he's eating that. He's alive, at least. That's all I care about.

I'm anxious over work. After many weeks of futzing about, it is now time for me to get really serious about recruiting Corporate partners for 2011. I'm behind schedule. It makes me feel sort of queasy, and I'm not sure why. I just hate the idea of asking people for money. I've found all manner of ways to put off the inevitable, and I can't avoid it any further. So this week and next, I'll be on the phone, pitching sponsorship.

Meanwhile, I'd much rather be Christmas shopping. Just this morning, Grayson announced that he has decided what to ask Santa for. I still have a few gifts to buy, and there's the house to be decorated. I love having a decorated house for the holidays. I hate doing the decorating.

I meant to do it the weekend after thanksgiving, but I just couldn't face all those boxes of greenery. Now at last I'm up against the deadline. The Solstice party serves as a goad, as well. So, starting tonight, I'll be trying to get the "hangin' o' the greens" accomplished.

Then there's Christmas cards, which we do actually have, but we haven't yet begun to prepare. We did at least get our portraits taken last weekend. I think they came out very nicely. I deliberately dressed down and let G wear whatever he wanted, because I didn't want it to be formal and stiff. There's nothing formal about either of us, or about our relationship, so I wanted the pictures to reflect that, and I think this one does. We haven't had real pictures taken in a while, and it occurred to me that I need to get that done while G still counts as a little kid. He's starting to grow up fast now, and I need to get my little boy love while I can.

I try not to be sad about it. I know I will always love him just as he is.

We did a little shopping together on Sunday after the photo shoot. We didn't have anything in particular to shop for, but it was fun to be in the mall, looking around. We went into the Brookline store so Grayson could sit in the massage chairs. It's one of his favorite things. He loves all massage chairs. It was funny to watch him try them all out. This one tickled a bit.

He was singing the praises of the foot massager, so I took my shoes off and tried it out. Ooooh my gosh, I could not get my feet out of there fast enough! It tickled so much I was afraid I was going to kick the thing across the room!

The doc told me I have unusually high reflexes, which includes unusually sensitive feet. That foot massager was worse than a torture device to me, but Grayson enjoys being tickled.