A very Merry (Grinchy) Christmas!

Hello again, Mousekateers!

First, I want to apologize. I know there aren't many of you who come here, but I want to thank those who have and say sorry that I haven't been here in awhile. Perhaps my post today can shed some light on why.

Today is Christmas. We don't have many Christmas traditions. Since Santa stopped visiting me, our traditions kind of went the way of the buffalo. One thing that HAS stuck around, was the Disney Christmas Day parade. It means a lot to me. I remember the times when my parents would take me to Disney and we'd sit on the curb of Main Street USA and watch the magic. Truthfully, it is one of the happiest memories I have.

But this year just hasn't felt like Christmas. Maybe it's the fact that it's 70 degrees outside. Maybe it's that we decided not to exchange gifts this year (instead we opted to put that money toward our Disney vacation in March), but most importantly, it's because hubby isn't here with me.

Poor hubby has been working 12+ hour days with only about a day off every 2 weeks since the beginning of December. His job is INCREDIBLY difficult (he's a correctional officer at a maximum security correctional facility.) and it's really hard to see him so exhausted for so long. He comes home around 8pm, we eat a late dinner, then we have to go back to bed so he can do it all over again at 5am the next morning. I have to say, I'm so proud of him for his impecible work ethic, but I also know, I really miss him.

Since poor hubby has been going non-stop, we haven't had a chance to do the things we normally do during the holiday season. No wrapping gifts for our nieces and nephews. No Christmas picture in front of our Christmas tree. No Christmas cards. No annual Christmas e-card. No unwrapping gifts. No getting to snuggle on the couch while I cry like a baby during the Christmas parade. It all feels so strange. It's like it's not even Christmas. Isn't that strange?

It doesn't help that it's been a depressing couple of weeks for me, too. I got some bad news that the RSD in my legs has spread. I ended up dislocating my shoulder (I didn't even know I had dislocated it) while I slept. We went to the ER to make sure there wasn't any additional damage, and the doctor dropped the bomb that it was likely caused by muscle weakness. Then, not 3 weeks later, I feel down some stairs because my knee gave out. I had done such a great job of ignoring the RSD for so long that I had almost convinced myself that it had gone. So, hearing that it was not only gone, but had actually spread, was really, really difficult. Lucky for me, I have the best hubby in the world, and a mom who lives down the street who provide an amazing support system. Either way, going through all of this, with hubby having to work so much has been difficult to say the least.

But you know what? I'm not going to let it ruin all of the great things that have happened this Christmas season. We are going on what is likely to be the greatest Disney vacation ever with some of my favorite people in the world. We have beautiful weather that doesn't involve snow. No having to use a cane because the cold winter has effected my joints so badly. I get to watch the parade in my beautiful home. I have a job to go back to on Tuesday where I make good money and am treated with respect. I'm very fortunate. And while it may not feel like Christmas here today without hubby, I know he's going to be home tonight and we'll get to celebrate the holidays as a family tomorrow.

So, in spite of my grinchy ways this year, I want to wish you all a very, very Merry Christmas, or Hunnukah, or Kwanza. I hope that no matter what you choose to celebrate that your holidays are filled with love and laughter. I want to thank you, my friends, for allowing my little corner of the world here on the Disney Hippy blog, to be a place I can come to with a smile on my face.

On behalf of the Disney Hippy, Happy Holidays!


And on that note, enjoy this clip of the lost art of Candy Cane making at Disneyland!