Presumed to be awesome.

So, my Bah Humbug mood isn't quite as intense as it was earlier in the week. I'm convinced that the improvement in my mood is due mostly to those Candy Cane Joe Joe's. OMG! So delicious! I'll definitely be going back to Trader Joe's for more of those.

I also managed to get my tree up and trimmed. True, it's only a two foot table-top tree. And one of the strings of lights is now refusing to work. *grumbles* But it's definitely an improvement in the holiday decorating front.

I sat down to wrap presents the other day, and I wrapped one then just couldn't do any more. I hate wrapping. If it were up to me, I'd use gift bags for everything. Apparently, though, tearing open the gift wrap is half the fun. *grumbles some more* Anyone want to wrap my presents for me?

See, what I mean? The holiday cheer is very limited around these parts.

But! In a valiant attempt to get into an appropriately cheerful holiday mood, idiosyncratic and I went driving around to see holiday lights last night. The lights were scarce. But we did have hot chocolate to drink and Steve Carlson's Christmas CD playing. And while we only had Steve on Jo's iPod, while the L.A. Hookers had him in person (hope y'all had a great time!), that's still seriously a lot of holiday cheer right there. *g*

Plus we got to see a house decked out with so many gaudy lights that we couldn't help but stare (and laugh) in awe. This house, people, had a coyote howling at the moon and a sky full of blinking stars, on the roof a smiley face, a peace sign, and a Sponge Bob Santa -- all in bright, blinking lights! And the piece de resistance? A disco ball spinning in the entry way! It was brilliant. And, while some of the houses were decorated quite nicely, I was most impressed by whoever decided to decorate an entire portion of South Mountain. Someone decorated the freakin' mountain! It was awesome.

We came home prepared to watch Riley Smith on Criminal Minds only to discover, after we'd watched the entire recorded episode and hadn't seen any sign of Riley, that the network pulled all the first run episodes this week and aired repeats instead. There's apparently no new air date for Riley's show as of yet.

Let's see. What else? Ah, yes. In addition to failing at holiday cheer, I also fail at remembering birthdays this week. *facepalm*

It was thefirespiral's birthday on Monday. Monica is one of my dearest friends. I hope, Monica, that your day was fabulous, and that the year ahead brings all the insight and resolution you need in order to be happy and healthy!

A Belated Happy Birthday to wrenlet as well! Wren, baby, I hope you had a great day! One of the greatest things of 2007 for me has been meeting you and getting to spend time together involving various shenanigans! Mwah!

There are only 11 days until Christmas. I'm definitely running out of time to snap out of this Bah Humbug mood I find myself in and get my holiday cheer on.

I don't know what my deal is. I'm usually very in to the whole holiday thing. But this year, I just can't seem to get excited about any of it.

It's not like last year when I found myself bogged down in a fog of actual Depression (yes, with a capital "D"). No. Instead it's just a persistent sense of "meh," of disinterest in the holidays with an underlying sense of panic because I haven't done any of the things that should probably get done. Like decorating, or putting up a tree, or baking, or actually doing some holiday shopping. I haven't done any of that.

So, here's my plan for kicking my own ass out of this Scrooge Mood and acting "as if": tonight I'm breaking out the decorations and putting up the tree, making hot chocolate and forcing idiosyncratic to watch holiday movies with me; tomorrow I'm dragging myself out to brave the stores for some holiday shopping; and tomorrow night I'm baking cookies (I defy my Scrooge Mood to stand up to COOKIES!!!). Merry Christmas, dammit!!!!!!

* * *

I do have to say, however, that despite my Bah-Humbugness, I have had moments of Holiday Glee upon finding cards in my mailbox from meredevachon, azewewish, and idiosyncratic (Ha! Jo got here before her card did. Our postal service fails.), and a holiday package from without_me (which shall go under the tree as soon as I get the damn tree up! *g*). Thank you, ladies, for the holiday cheer!!! Mwah!