Wednesday, Dec. 4

Slept late, until after 8 a.m. Hubbie had gotten up about an hour earlier. He checked on me just after I got up, and found me already in the bathroom showering.

After breakfast, Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house, and then he ran errands. Today, I wanted to decorate the large Christmas tree, but I needed his help with it, so I just did this and that until he returned, which was around noon.

Following lunch, we started the decorating project. Ran into a problem with the lights right away, which required that Hubbie go to a home improvement store. When he returned, we finally got busy. We worked all afternoon stringing lights and garland, and putting hundreds of ornaments on the tree...ornaments we've collected over 33 years of marriage.

Because I've been feeling crappy, I was sorely tempted this year to skip putting up this enormous tree, since there is already an average-size "white" one in the living room. Two is probably overkill for a home without children, but this is Mother's favorite tree, which reminds her of trees of the past, when I was young....eclectic decorations and multi-colored lights.

The white tree is Hubbie's favorite, maybe because of its calm, monochromatic theme of mostly white decorations, white lights, and pearl garlands. It is the one he can see from his seat at the dining room table.

The trees really are very pretty, and we enjoy sitting in the living room and looking at them. Family will enjoy them, too, when they visit through the holidays. So I guess it was all worth it.

This season has not gotten off to a good start, though, what with me being sick all through the Thanksgiving holiday and into the first week of December. Already, I've had to opt out of several events that I would have liked to attend, and now, with the predicted wintry weather Friday, I learned from a water aerobics member that our Christmas party has been postponed until a week from tomorrow.

She also said there will be no water aerobics sessions this Friday or next Monday. As it happens, I'm not ready to get back in the pool yet, anyway, so now I won't have to feel bad about not going.

The problem, though, is that Hubbie's Master Gardener Christmas party is scheduled for a week from tomorrow, the same day as the re-scheduled water aerobics party. Mother really likes going to the water aerobics party, and Hubbie assures us he won't mind if we choose that one over the Master Gardener one, so that's what we might do.

The wintry weather could also change plans for the Kids' Christmas House Workshop, scheduled for Saturday at the art gallery. Even if the workshop goes on, Daughter, two grandddaughters, and several great-grandchildren might opt out of coming.

It's a case of wait and see.

Later, I cooked a fresh batch of spaghetti to go with the sauce from a couple of days ago, and we had this for supper. After supper, Hubbie accompanied Mother to her house, and then we watched sappy Christmas movies from the Lifetime Channel.