Twas the Saturday before Christmas

Perhaps I am one of the few people in the U.S. who LOVED the first 3 Star Wars movies (by which I mean the trilogy that began in 1977, not the chronological first 3) who is not going to see the new movie this week-end.  Will I go see it?  Maybe.  But it won't be this first week-end.  I would rather see it later, when the theatre won't be quite so crowded.

There are very few things I want to experience enough to wait in a line.  Maybe nothing, in fact.

I have hopes that the week-end will include many elements, but a return to a galaxy far, far away is not one of them:

--My friend with the collapsed lung undergoes surgery this morning.  It will be minimally invasive--the wonders of modern surgery!  I have hopes that her health will be quickly restored after this surgery, but in the meantime, I will visit her in the hospital.

--I will do the final cleaning up after our relatives who came for the second week of Advent.  We still have sheets that need to be washed.

--There's other straightening/cleaning to be done.  I feel like a tribe of 3-5 year olds has been loose in the house, getting stickiness on all the surfaces.  The house was very clean less than 2 weeks ago, and we've been living a hectic life, out of the house more than home.  How has the house gotten so dirty again?  A tribe of sticky children is the only explanation that makes sense.

--There's yard work that can be done--I still need to move the autumn pumpkins out of the front yard.

--I will go to spin class this morning.  I have extra calories in need of burning--I made Christmas cookies yesterday to take to my friend in the hospital, and thus, I ate a lot of Christmas cookies yesterday.

--Tonight my church has a contemplative service for people who are not experiencing the joy of the season:  people who mourn or who have bad memories around the season.  I went to this service two years ago and found it meaningful.

--On the way home, I'll enjoy the Christmas lights.

--Tomorrow, in addition to church services, I will practice hand chimes.

--I need to turn in one last set of grades.

In short, in many ways, it's not that different from any other week-end.  In some ways, I feel lucky.  I know that others are having a very different last week-end before Christmas. 

And yet, I also want it to be more than just another week-end.  I want to remember to enjoy the lights that will be gone all too season.  I want to enjoy some treats before January brings us a return to regular life.