Bring on the cold

This morning the temperatures at the house were in the low to mid-40’s which I enjoy, in short bursts.  Elsa LOVES the cool temps.  She runs around outside like a maniac when it is like this.  She also enjoys when we put her sweater on her.  She stood there very patiently while I put it on her this morning before taking her outside.

I have been handling my Xmas shopping at a more casual pace this year.  Most of the time as soon as Thanksgiving hits I go full force and try to knock out the vast majority of my shopping within a 48 hour time period.  Now more than 10 days past that time period I have a good amount done but still a few boxes remain to be checked before I can call it good.

Last night after work I did something that I feared would be awful, go to Costco.  Typically heading into Costco anytime during snowbird season is a clogged mess of humanity that provides more frustration than anything else.  I did leave work a little early to increase my chances of less misery and it seemingly paid off.  The store was busy but manageable.  I circled the aisles looking for some Xmas gift inspiration but didn’t find a lot.  A couple times I picked up items that I returned to the shelf after having a quick internal discussion about the need and/or value of a potential gift.  I waited less than 5 minutes to check out and had no one ahead of me at the receipt checker station at the exit.

I know in the blink of an eye Christmas will come and go so I am doing my best to enjoy this brief moment of the year where I feel a little better about the world.