Winding Down to Christmas

Santa Buc-ee is back each morning, and each morning there's a new gift all wrapped up in that nice Buc-ee's wrapping paper.  What's the gift today?

It looks like a Buc-ee's pen with a topper!  The gifts keep piling up, one each day of December.  We're leading up to Christmas, which is only a week away now.  Wow, that's just crazy.

This morning we were at the chiropractor's office for our adjustments, and that was a really nice visit.  They have decorations all over the place, just like they do during October.  It's just a pleasant visit, and of course everyone was feeling all straightened out afterwards!

Ah, Maddie's hiding place!  Maddie's been hiding every single time, hiding somewhere in the room so that when Doc Williams enters, he can't see her.  And he's been playing along, "I wonder where Maddie is.  It's just you two today and oh!  There you are!"  Maddie jumps out, and she used to yell "boo!" or something similar when she was younger.  Today she just smiles and laughs, and everyone greets one another as always with Dad jokes or compliments on the Hawaiian shirts.  No Hawaiian shirt for me today though - too cold outside, and I'm still a bit under the weather.

Here's Maddie getting a massage.  I thought I'd pay her back for the time she took a picture of me on the adjustment table from underneath.  

Okay, afterwards we went over to Cracker Barrel for a nice meal together, and we did get to sit near the fireplace today, so that was pleasant. 

We all got some "comfort food" there, some nice warm lunch orders - and after that, we actually spent a little bit looking around and shopping.  Yes, there's some of that Christmas shopping still left to do.  I managed to do some of that today, the usual desperate running around for this or that, and the big crowds on the streets.  I circumnavigated the lake today, come to think of it, if you consider this Cracker Barrel the starting point.  Later on I was taking Maddie to taekwondo, and driving back to this Cumming location to pick up some things here, then get back to Maddie in time to take her home again.  It's the most wonderful time of the year!

We lit another candle tonight, another night of Hanukkah here.  And of course we read the devotional as well.  Tonight's movie was "A Year Without a Santa Claus," the made-for-television live action version, which is actually a good bit of harmless fun.  

After that, we watched "A Claymation Christmas," with the California raisins and the "Carol of the Bells" segment that inspired my first ugly face pottery design I created back in August.  It came out okay, a close resemblance.  If I keep going, soon enough I can have a whole line up of faces sort of based on Will Vinton's epic work!  That's the name of the Claymation artist - I love this old special so much that we watch it every year.

So I'm on the treadmill a bit, and for some reason I'm now watching all the "Rocky" movies back to back to back.  It's a bit of a marathon, and I didn't realize that this first one is kind of a Christmas movie.  At least it takes place over the Christmas season.  From what I remember, "Rocky IV" is definitely a Christmas movie, so I'll have to get to that one before Christmas Day, right?  Meanwhile, I'm on this latest virtual path through China, walking towards that Forbidden Palace.  It's been a little uneventful, but that's okay given all that is going on right now elsewhere in this crazy season.

Tonight we closed up things with more reading from "Hogfather."  It looks like we'll finish that up around Christmas Day too - things are certainly winding down in that direction.  We said our prayers, and then it was time for some rest.  And to all a good night!