This Christmas

2019 was a pretty long year with a lot of hard work. It felt like it took a long time, which is not to say it dragged, but now the end has come on so suddenly. Thanksgiving came especially late this year, so it seems like we jumped form that holiday right into December without a chance to take a breath. and I didn't do anything on Thanksgiving but lift weights, work at Tucano's, and watch Thursday Night football. I didn't see any family or friends, so I didn't mind turning the page on this particular Thanksgiving.

Well my mom and dad both did something that neither have them have ever done at the same time before. They both asked me for a specific Christmas present. Dad asked for a B&N gift card to help him purchase a new tablet. I was going to get him $30, but then when I was told I could get an extra $10 if I purchased a $50 card, the choice was pretty much made for me.

As for Mom, I used to get her certificates to the nail salon or candles or a massage. This year though, she had a different plan. She told me since her retirement, she's been dog sitting and while that's going on, she needs something to occupy her time. then she mentioned Lego Architecture, which are these 3D Lego puzzles or various city skylines and landmarks. So one that she mentioned she wanted was the Statue of Liberty puzzle. I figured ok, how much could that be. I googled it and the puzzle was made of 1600 pieces and cost $120. Well I made the purchase at Target, so she better like it!

I will be visiting her in Cary for two days, thankfully I was given Christmas Eve off, paid. That wasn't even a certainty until recently. But her plans for Christmas Eve are for us to go to the Duke University Chapel for service and the dinner at Vin Rouge, a pretty bougie French restaurant. Now I'm not a fine dining guy, but this place receives rave reviews and has won many awards. So this could be a unique experience, why not embrace it?

As for me, I swear the only things I would really like are gift cards and some financial assistance to send me to Wisconsin for the Ryder Cup. Thank God the airfare is covered, because I'm thinking I'll be staying in a hotel room for five nights and renting a car. I might have to haul a bunch of protein bars just to save money on food.

I think in the next two weeks, I will do a year end post, looking back on what has happened and take some time to look forward to the future. Shoot, based off Blogger's statistics, less than ten people are going to click on this anyway, and less than half probably have ever heard of me. So what risk am I really taking at this point?

For the first time, I finally listened to Elvis' Christmas album. It's just so good, even 62 years after its initial release, it strikes that blend of classic feel and contemporary.