Christmastime is here

Wow ... it just does not seem possible that Christmas is mere days away. Time is truly flying by. This year has been a toned-down version of Christmas at our house. We put the tree up and did a scaled-down version of decorating, but no outside lights. We didn't put the Christmas village out, and I haven't even taken out any of my Christmas dishes or cups and glasses. I haven't done the baking that I usually do; we have purchased whatever treats we wanted this year.

Unfortunately, this has been a season of very high stress for me. Things have been uber stressful at my workplace recently, and many changes are taking place there, with people leaving and potential job reassignments on the horizon.  I am not handling it well at all. The job itself has gone from one that I used to love, to one that is a huge source of stress. It is just not enjoyable and I worry about spending the final years of my working life in that environment and the physical toll of all that stress.
I know I have another 8-10 years or so before I can realistically look at retirement. I just don't think I can do this for that long. Something surely has to give.

I definitely need a little "peace on earth" in my little corner of the world. I wish I were writing an upbeat, jolly holiday post ... but, this is my reality. We're going to do Christmas with Steve's family this afternoon, and that will be a nice and fun diversion. Tomorrow, it's back to work for a few days before a little break for Christmas and New Year's.

At any rate, I do wish you - my dear reader, whoever you may be and wherever you may be, A Very Merry and Blessed Christmas and A Very Happy and Healthy New Year.

Patty