Christmas Is Near

It was a very busy weekend. At one point I thought there might be such a thing as too much Chloe. I was wrong. There can never be too much Chloe. My wife and I did have her much of the weekend while her parents moved into their new home. It did occur to me over the weekend that Chloe may have inherited my rebellious streak. She had a few tantrums over the weekend. When you put a tired 2 1/2 year old with a tired 55 year old in a grocery store on a Friday night, there is sometimes conflict. We lived through it, however, and made it home with all the groceries. Later when we were in bed, we laughed and played games until Granny told us to settle down. Saturday we went to the Mall. When Chloe spotted Santa, she nearly leaped over the gate to see him. Well, when we finally got up to him and I sat her on his lap, Santa suddenly lost all his appeal. She had to settle for a Grandfather that look's like Santa's brother. Finally on Sunday afternoon we attended a family Christmas party. Chloe was in a great mood and looked lovely in her new Christmas dress and fancy shoes. It's one week until Christmas. Activity is reaching a fever pitch for many. Thanks to my very productive wife, most of the work of Christmas is behind us. Hopefully, you can say the same and we can all spend this week slowing down, being quiet, and contemplating the deeper and true meeting of Christmas. Next weekend we will all be in a frenzy as we go over the hills and through the woods to Grandma's house. Next Monday morning I will be cooking a breakfast feast at my house for my family. Now that I have advanced to Grandfatherhood, people come to my home instead of me having to hit the road. This growing old stuff has a few perks.