‘Twas the Night Before the Night Before Christmas
Dec 23rd 2008
Suzanne EnochOn Writing!
And all through my casa,
Piles of boxes and paper and ribbons
Lay thicker than salsa.
These for my family, those for my friends,
A few for the stockings,
Small odds and ends.
Across from the ribbons I spied another small stack
Of papers and scribbles,
Red pen and black.
Dash it all, dash it all, I’ve a book still to write.
I’m close to the end,
But I’ll not finish tonight.
So the day after Christmas, I won’t hit the mall.
I’ll be sitting here typing
Until I finish it all.
How many days off do you get for the holidays? Do you go anywhere, or do you stay close to home? And who’s having a white Christmas? And whose plans are being messed up by the weather this year?
56 Comments »
56 Responses to “‘Twas the Night Before the Night Before Christmas”
LisaK on 23 Dec 2008 at 3:56 am #
As you know, I’m still a student, so I’ve got two weeks holidays (a break that I absolutely needed!). I’ll be at home – for me, Christmas is something for the family.
And no, I don’t have white Christmas and that makes me %)”$§& (that’s a curse). I can’t remember if I ever had a Christmas as green as this year’s. I mean, I live in the Alps, okay? I expect to have snow in December! But it has been raining for three days now. If all that rain had been snow everything would be fine, but noooooo…
Oh, I could get worked up over that for hours, grrrr!
Marie on 23 Dec 2008 at 5:09 am #
I have a month off as a college student. We are going to Denver. I hope we have a white Christmas, but not one that delays the flight.
I get to see my Sissy!!!!
Judy F on 23 Dec 2008 at 5:45 am #
I am jealous of your students. Almost. I have just thurs and Friday off. I am so looking forward to it. My great niece is 22 months so christmas should be fun.
I am staying home for the holidays, the last few years we have been going over my sisters. This year will be a bit diff with date in a nursing home. But he is getting wonderful care and that is a blessing.
So far no white christmas here, think rain is in the forecast
Ayse on 23 Dec 2008 at 7:06 am #
I have just Christmas day off, but I’m having a horrible month. I’m already stuck at home because my appendix burst on my birthday (grrr). I actually can’t wait to get back to work :-/
Any time I have a long holiday my first impulse is to go to England/Scotland. My boyfriend has a rotational job in the UK so I get to see him and I just love it.
Ayse on 23 Dec 2008 at 7:07 am #
BTW is anyone able to log onto the blogs with a pda? My pda crashes in the blogs, however I am able to open the forums.
Cail on 23 Dec 2008 at 7:09 am #
Judy F, you can be jealous of us teachers too! I’ve got a half day today and then i go back on Jan 5th. I’m looking forward to it, although on the 5th I have both work during the day and my grad school classes at night, so I’ll be quite a bit over worked. But at least I like my job!!!
Kathy/Cookiedough on 23 Dec 2008 at 7:12 am #
I got a snow day yesterday, off today until Boxing Day afternoon.
I go to my sister Debbie’s to at least spend one night. maybe 2. I do like my own bed!
So far it’s white, but we are getting RAIN on Dec 25th darn it all!
I’m up early baking Christmas cookie gifts to deliver later this morning.
Kathy/Cookiedough on 23 Dec 2008 at 7:58 am #
erm, baking is done and now I’m baking my roots to that just so shade of reddish brown
not like filling up my morning huh?
lol
Freshechelle on 23 Dec 2008 at 8:14 am #
I’m off between the holidays and good thing because yesterday I learned I have to leave my home by next Monday so my stuff can be delivered to Chicago before January is over. I thought I had at least 2 more weeks. Now I’ll have 10 days of crashing at my parents house which isn’t set up to be guest friendly. It’s going to be a very distracted Christmas.
Freshechelle on 23 Dec 2008 at 8:45 am #
Merry Christmas Erve everyone!
Claudia Dain on 23 Dec 2008 at 9:00 am #
No white Christmas here, but a cold snap the last few days has made it seem very Christmasy. I finally got to wear a pair of gloves last night!
We always stay home for the holidays. It’s just too crazy to travel. I get palpitations when I go within a half mile of the mall.
I take off Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and sometimes the day after Christmas, but that’s about it.
(Hey, Suzie? Did you notice how I refrained from mentioning my England trip?)
Lisa H on 23 Dec 2008 at 9:03 am #
Hi Ladies!
I am a stay at home mom. I don’t any days off. I don’t get Christmas or Christmas Eve off. I don’t get any sick days, vacation days or mental health days (I bet you could tell about that last one!)
I don’t mind though. I love my family and feel priveledged to have the opportunity to serve them. But sometimes I get a wee bit tired.
I am having a spectacular White Christmas. Snow almost 1 foot high, and I love it. (So will all the children receiving sleds from Santa)
We will be home on Chirstmas Eve, then to church, then back home. Chrismas Day will be at Grandma’s (close to home)
Merry, Merry Christmas!!!!!
Lisa H on 23 Dec 2008 at 9:03 am #
Suzanne, I hope you finish your book soon!
Freshechelle on 23 Dec 2008 at 9:07 am #
Suzanne, nice rhyme. It’s like you’re a professional writer or something!
Karen Hawkins on 23 Dec 2008 at 9:22 am #
Suzanne! What a brilliant poem! And I feel your pain. I have a book with a due date of AREYOUFINISHEDYET, so I’m deep into it, too.
This year I’m writing every day, including Christmas. But only for six hours — six am to noon — each day. Then it’s Family Time! Gotta love the family!!! This year we’re having Christmas Day Dinner at my inlaws house. I love going there so it should be fun!
Karen Hawkins on 23 Dec 2008 at 9:24 am #
(And Claudia, that was soooo eeeevil, how you worked in your England trip by asking if she’d noticed that you hadn’t mentioned it . . . smooth, girl, like silk!)
JudyPatooty on 23 Dec 2008 at 9:25 am #
I loved your poem, Suzanne! I have no doubt you’ll finish your book with time to spare!
I only get Christmas Day and the day after Christmas off this year. I’ll be heading out of town (just 70 miles, though) to pick up my Mom. We’re joining my sister and brother-in-law and his parents and siblings for a big family “do” at their place out in the country.
It’s supposed to be in the 70s here on Christmas Day, so we’ll be enjoying smoked turkey and ham and all the fixings out on the deck, enjoying the view of the hills and live oak trees. It’ll be a nice change of pace for me after all this time in the big city.
Susan M on 23 Dec 2008 at 9:32 am #
I get two days off and I get to leave at noon on Christmas Eve. We are going to my mom’s for Christmas Eve. Christmas Day I don’t plan to go anywhere. DH may go to his dads but I refuse to go. I just don’t trust myself around that man right now. The day after Christmas DH has to work so I’m going to meet one of my friends for lunch and a movie. (We’re going to see Twilight for the 4th time.) We will not be having a White Christmas this year. We are getting sleet and possibly a little snow tonight but nothing that’s going to stay long.
Kim on 23 Dec 2008 at 9:53 am #
Suzie–LOVE the poem! Too cute.
I don’t get too many days off but I’m taking tomorrow off to lazy around and catch up on my reading. We’re not going anywhere, thank goodness.
We’re having a very white and COLD Christmas. Its been freezing here. Its snowing. Again.
elsiehogarth on 23 Dec 2008 at 10:19 am #
Suzanne, you can do it. Avoid the temptations…..TV, cell phones etc. and I think you’ll be fine.
Oh yeah, I’ll be home for the next 5 days probably cooking since most of the relatives will be in and out from tomorrow night until Sunday. I’m just glad I finished with all the wrapping and bagging.
Julia London on 23 Dec 2008 at 10:31 am #
I have revisions, page proofs, and a book all due at once. I will be working a little every day, with the exception of Christmas Day, when I don’t think there will be enough time between family events and my quick side trip to the Carolinas so that I can kick Claudia’s London-bound arse.
As for snow…please don’t hate me, but the weather is supposed to be gorgeous, mid-70s, so we’ll be sipping poinsettias and opening gifts on the patio.
Julia London on 23 Dec 2008 at 10:32 am #
JudyPatooty, us too! High five!
Louisa Cornell on 23 Dec 2008 at 10:48 am #
Love the poem, Suzanne! I know you and KHawk will finish in time.
I work for Wal-Mart so I get Christmas Day off – that’s it! I am supposed to work until 6:30 tomorrow evening, but I hope to persuade them to let me get out of there @3 or 4. I have to drive 80 miles to my Mom’s and I would rather not do it at 7 or 8 at night. It is supposed to be raining tomorrow evening. Should be fun driving.
No white Christmas here. Rain, rain and more rain. Lovely!
Happy Holidays, everyone!
Suzanne Enoch on 23 Dec 2008 at 11:41 am #
Kathy/Cookie, I can almost smell those cookies, just out of the oven. Mmmm.
Since I’m not speaking to travelin’ Claudia right now, I’ll just send out a general ppffffftttthhh in her direction. *g*
evlqn on 23 Dec 2008 at 12:17 pm #
Days off??? I’ve heard of those! I even had them when I was out in the world.
I miss out in the world days.
White Christmas? Probably, it’s snowing again right now. It may interfer with my son and family coming down.GRRRR!
Third day of baking cookies. Last day I hope.
Today they are bringing a car by for our approval before we buy it. A 2003 Ford Focus. I love my loan company.
Merry Christmas everyone. And Lisa it could still turn to snow, it is the Alps after all.
Suzanne Enoch on 23 Dec 2008 at 12:46 pm #
I’ve never had a white Christmas. We’re getting a rainy one this year, but it’s just not the same.
Suzanne Enoch on 23 Dec 2008 at 12:48 pm #
LisaK, I can’t imagine anything more gorgeous than a white Christmas in the Alps. How many non-white holidays have you had? I always figured it would be snowy there pretty much all the time.
dbrown3400 on 23 Dec 2008 at 1:00 pm #
Since I’m retired all my days are pretty much free. I don’t have a car but public transportation or my DD gets me most places I want to go. My older daughter, her boyfriend and I will spend a quiet Christmas Day together but we wish we could go to FL and see my GD. She’s almost eight months old and is pulling herself to a standing position and “cruising” around her crib. At least we get videos on DD’s phone.
Our weatherman is forecasting freezing rain turning into all rain for Christmas Eve but a clear day for Christmas. My DD’s house is five blocks from my apartment so hopefully she won’t have any problems getting here. We are ordering Chinese food because no one wants to cook but that driver doesn’t have far to travel either.
May all of you and your families who are traveling have a safe trip.
PJ on 23 Dec 2008 at 1:15 pm #
Love the poem, Suzanne!
I’m in Charlotte for the holidays, staying with my family of the heart. The temps are in the 40’s today (no snow) and supposed to be 60 on Christmas. Festivities are up in the air right now as youngest child has a nasty stomach virus. The rest of us are all praying it ends with her and doesn’t spread through the rest of the family.
Merry Christmas Everyone!
LisaK on 23 Dec 2008 at 1:16 pm #
Suzie, I actually can only think of one (I’m sure with this one, it was in 2006) and I think there has been one before, 1995 or so, but I can’t remember that so well. However, 2003 was exactly like you must imagine it – we had tooooooons of snow, real, heavy, clean, white (not dirty-brown) snow. Siiiiigh…
Kathy/Cookiedough on 23 Dec 2008 at 1:40 pm #
Suzanne, they were sugar cookies with orange zest for a flavour boost!
3 dozen packaged up and given away this morning to friends.
Suzanne Enoch on 23 Dec 2008 at 2:09 pm #
Oh, Lisa, that sounds gorgeous. Sighhhhhh.
And I’m drooling now, Kathy. Sugar cookies with orange zest. Now I wish I had some chestnuts and an open fire. Yes, I could turn on (or light, which sounds better) the fireplace, but then all the wrapping paper would probably catch on fire.
Claudia Dain on 23 Dec 2008 at 2:19 pm #
A girl takes a tiny, itsy bitsy vacation and all she gets is grief for it. I suppose you want to go along? Well…
We do need a luggage handler…
SheridanLA on 23 Dec 2008 at 2:41 pm #
my boss has left town, so while I am babysitting the place a bit, I can come and go as I wish.. I have the phones forwarded to my cell.
No plans for Christmas day.. I am going to chill out with books, blankets and movies and enjoy the silence.
I loved heading to Canada last year for xmas and thought about it again.. or a couple other trips, but nothing flowed, so I opted to hang out at home and vegetate. I might make something special for dinner, but that is up in the air still.
Janae on 23 Dec 2008 at 3:10 pm #
Great poem!
As a sahm there’s not much of a vacation package. However, since my kids are on vacation, it means I’m not volunteering in the classroom or doing pick up and drop off. What I don’t get is, why my children seem to have no problem getting up on their own before 7 am. We have to practically drag them out of bed on school days.
Having grown up with snowy Christmases (except for one year), I still have a hard time adjusting to CA Christmases. It’s the only day I miss the snow.
SheridanLA on 23 Dec 2008 at 3:20 pm #
I miss snow and real wintery feeling in CA, too.. hence the trip to Canada last year.. heheh.
Suzanne Enoch on 23 Dec 2008 at 3:50 pm #
Hey, Claudia. Double pppptttttthhhh. *g*
Paula on 23 Dec 2008 at 4:19 pm #
Janae my kids are like that too!! Arghh it is so annoying.
Suzanne love the poem. We won’t be getting a white Christmas this year, actually I can’t remember that last time we had one it has to be at least 20+ years ago.
We are at home my mum is coming up tomorrow.
Judy f I’m not a teacher ro a student but do work in a school and finished work on the 19/12 and go back on 5 th Jan.
Claudia when do you come over to the UK? or is it a forbidden subject?
Kim HAPPY BIRTHDAY for tomorrow enjoy and have fun. Today is my birthday and I have chilled out. Friends came round for lunch and my DH treated us to a chinese take out for tea.
HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL
AnnaSwede on 23 Dec 2008 at 4:20 pm #
I worked my last day for this year today (the 23rd)! I don’t plan to come back to work until the 12th of January, but I have a feeling I’ll be needed before that… We’ll see.
The weather looks to be quite nice this year, even if it isn’t white. With luck there may be some snow tomorrow. With bad luck there’ll be some rain… It’s around 0°C now.
Tomorrow I’m going to my parents for christmas smorgasbord. We always celebrate on christmas eve.
Have a nice christmas everybody!
Ps. If I could get Sundays FROS for christmas I’d be very grateful… He would surely light up my day.
Margaret on 23 Dec 2008 at 4:37 pm #
Happy birthday, Paula! I hope you don’t get one present that supposed to be for both birthday and Christmas. I have a cousin born on Christmas Day and that’s what his cheapskate mother did to him. We don’t know what happened to his father. We think she ate him after mating. ;-0
I live alone and don’t go out to work. Or stay in to work, for that matter. I treated myself to 2 things in the past few days. # 1 was a Samsung memory camcorder. No tape. No disk. I’ve been playing with it since I got it. #2 was learning how to put video up on YouTube. Yes, goddesses, I have joined the YouTube generation.
I plan on taking lots of picture day after tomorrow. Right now, I have Christmas 2006 and another of Olivia’s cheer friends doing a silent cheer. Teenagers are so funny. The Christmas video is just a slide show and none of my 3 babies born since then are in it. That will soon be remedied.
Claudia, when are you leaving? heh heh
Paula on 23 Dec 2008 at 4:49 pm #
Thanks Margaret and no I don’t get 1 present for both. My mum always said to family that it was my birthday and then Christmas and they didn’t give my siblings 1 present for both so they shouldn’t do that to me! It worked.
Margaret on 23 Dec 2008 at 4:53 pm #
Good on Mum!
Yasmin on 23 Dec 2008 at 4:53 pm #
I am getting no days off this christmas. i traded them all off for next week. I am working every evening except christmas day and on christmas eve only five hrs.
My house smell like food!! We started cooking for christmas yesterday. We made butter cookies and cooked the meat off for the tamales on monday. Today we are making the red chile sauce, shredding the meat and assembling the tamales which takes FOREVER. Tomorrow we are making the fruit punch, cooking off the tamales and making menudo. Work work Work!
Yasmin on 23 Dec 2008 at 4:55 pm #
Happy Birthday Paula and Kim!!
Happy Christmas Everyone!!
Ann in IL on 23 Dec 2008 at 5:12 pm #
We are having a slick Christmas. Three inches of snow with a quarter inch of ice on top. A dusting of more snow this afternoon and the ice is starting to fall again!!!!!!
I work retail, so I’ll be here at home for just one day then back in at 4:30 Fri am for all the crazy people. Family comes Friday so I’ll be wrapping and cleaning on Christmas.
As for Traditions they seem to have faded away with my parents dying and everyone “too busy” with all their kids/schools/business/inlaws committments.
SOMEDAY I’ll be off for the holidays so I see if they are still a fun time. Right now I am NOT a fan. I think everyone should work a Christmas season in retail just for the experience. It’s unbelievable.
Lisa H on 23 Dec 2008 at 5:50 pm #
Happy Birthday Paula and Kim!
Suzanne Enoch on 23 Dec 2008 at 6:01 pm #
Oh, Ann, that’s terrible! I don’t get the 4:30 am thing. If everybody opened at, 9 o’clock, say, or noon, the day after Christmas, wouldn’t that work just as well? I imagine it started with each store opening a half hour before the next one to try and get the most business. Yeesh.
Kathy/Cookiedough on 23 Dec 2008 at 6:08 pm #
Happy Birthday Paula!
My sister Susan was born on Christmas Day and her first grandchild was born on her 50th birthday/Christmas
LisaK on 23 Dec 2008 at 6:19 pm #
Happy Birthday Paula!!!
Judy F on 23 Dec 2008 at 6:23 pm #
Karen Ro I don’t know if you got my email. But this is about the Santa in Cincinnati. Its a great story
http://news. cincinnati. com/article/ 20081223/ NEWS01/812230398 /1055/NEWS
TinaLouiseF on 23 Dec 2008 at 7:28 pm #
NorthWest Montana is covered in snow. It is currently a warm and toasty 10 degrees.
Christmas has always been at my parents house. Two miles from where I live. Since mom died last December, christmas moved to by brother’s house; a half mile past my parents house.
Since I started working at the County in 2001, I take off Christmas Eve at noon, Christmas day. From noon on New Years Eve and New Years Day.
Michelle B on 23 Dec 2008 at 7:41 pm #
It’s freezing rain here tonight, no snow yet. I’m still hoping.
I got off at 4:00 today, early because of the ice. Have off 24-26 and back to work on Sat. the 27th. We are staying home and love it that way. The college kids are home safe so I am happy.
Cards are out and some of the baking is done. Still have some more cookies to make and all of our presents to wrap.
Yasmin on 23 Dec 2008 at 8:02 pm #
Love the Poem SuziE! (I forgot to say that earlier since I was keeping an eye on the stove) I also havent had a white christmas. We are taking our annual trip down to L.A. next week to spend New Years Eve in Disneyland.
Only showers here in central cali. We are supposed to get rain tomorrow and christmas day.
Karie on 23 Dec 2008 at 9:07 pm #
I got laid off a week ago so I have unlimited time off. Good and bad I guess. DH’s family lives about 45 min from us so we don’t have to travel too far. It would be an act of God to get a white Christmas here in southwest Florida. So far I plan on heading up to Michigan on Friday and am hoping really really hard that there are no more snow storms to interfere with my plans. My son is so excited to see snow for the first time. I can’t wait to make a snowman. It’s been a long time since I have made one.
Happy Birthday, Paula!!!!!
LauraR on 23 Dec 2008 at 10:54 pm #
Happy Birthdays, Paula and Kim! My 2nd grandson’s birthday is today, yay. He’s (*ack*), 17! Time flies.
The campus is closed for 2 weeks, but they ’shift’ some holidays so we don’t have to take vacation to cover all the time off. The tradeoff of not getting the holiday when others do is worth that slight irritation.
Merry Christmas everyone. Hope you all get what you want. I volunteer to be the baggage wrangler for you Claudia!
Santa on 23 Dec 2008 at 11:33 pm #
Merry Christmas all! And Happy Birthday to all you Holiday Babes. My brother’s birthday was on Christmas Day – I still get asked if that is my birthday. Sigh.
I’ll be hanging my deli diva tiara for two weeks after New Year’s Day. We shut down the store and try to recuperate from the holiday season. My brothers used to go away to Aruba, New Orleans, the Caribean, the Napa Valley and everyone assumed I went along. HELLO! I have three kids and a hubby!
Next year in Italy for us all – if the fates allow, lol.