Friday Fragments #53 -- Post-Holiday Frags

It's Friday and it is the Friday following Hannukah and Christmas. Are you as exhausted as I? I hope that  you had a wonderful holiday surrounded by love and cheer.This is also the last Frag of 2014. It stuns me that we are in the last 6 days of this year. It has been a tumultuous year with a lot of rough patches. That said, I sat around a very full tree looking into the faces I love most so I cannot call it a bad year. To be so surrounded by love is such a tremendous blessing and one that I do not take lightly.

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My kids came through the day pretty happy. I was a bit worried about Little Diva when she car up with a completely new list on Christmas Eve. Santa had long since planned to give her the American Girl doll of the year, "Isabelle". She has asked for it for months and recently began to anxiously ask more fervently as the year was drawing to a close.  Santa had therefore felt pretty confident until these new items showed up. But at 5:45 when she ran into the living room, she scooped up the doll and screamed, "Isabelle! Isabelle! Santa got me Isabelle!" Santa was pretty happy about that... I'm sure.Sonny-Bunny is older and aside from gaming systems, harder to find a big impact item.And as Santa and hubby, I mean Chief Elf, were 100% clear that he was not getting either an X-Box 1 or PS4, there was some question about what to get the big guy. Well, in anticipation of upcoming Star Family Travels, Santa got him an action camera which he can carry with him on adventures and set up for the gaming videos he is dying to make. This was another win so Santa and she he is happy!You might have thought that such Santa wins added to iPads from Mom and Dad would've ensured terrific behavior last night. You would have thought wrongly. Oh. So. Wrongly. Last night, my thoughts were not turning to sugarplums or Nativities. Instead, they were honed in on how much those slightly used iPads would get on eBay.

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For those who celebrate Christmas, do you do the Elf on the Shelf?We have the last couple of years and enjoyed it a lot . This is true even though it may or may not have resulted in a few bolts out of bed in the middle of the night confirming that he had moved. I know that there are mixed feelings out there regarding the elf. I love seeing all the cute things other elves do and as I already have no self-esteem due to Pinterest, I don't mind that others do way cooler stuff than ours. I also don't think that it takes away from the true meaning of Christmas as I heard in a few comments. I just think of it as a fun addition to the magic of Christmas.You can see our Elf's journey here.

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On another note, do you go to movies on Christmas? I worked in a movie theater and hated having to work on Christmas so I never do. I do know many consider it a tradition. "The Interview" was supposed to open wide yesterday but instead opened in a few small theaters and online. I can't imagine that it would have been a big hit had the whole North Korea thing happened. The reviews were horrible and usually Christmas releases are spectacular or historical films like "Unbroken" and "Into the Woods". But now it seems seeing this B-comedy has become a patriotic statement. Even my mom is interested in seeing it and I'm pretty sure she couldn't pick Seth Rogen out of a line-up. As a similarly aged woman interviewed on TV proclaimed, " no short dictator is going to tell me what second-rate comedy I can see." So while Sony might not be thankful for the email release, at the end of the day, they might be thankful for the ticket sales.

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I am always hyper aware of time and its passage. This is even more so at the New Year. I take stock of what I did and didn't do and I really do invest in the whole clean slate of a new year. This year, however, as we prepare for the biggest changes of our lives, the waning days weigh even heavier. I still have a storage room to clear out, campsites to reserve, and a homeschooling curriculum to create. Sure. I can totally do that in 6 days. Sure I can. (Maybe if I keep saying it, it will become believable.

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In my post holiday haze, I am sure that there are more fragments floating around but that's all I've got for today. I hope you had a wonderful holiday and a happy new year.Check out other Friday Fragments with Half Past Kissin' Time.