Cougar Suit Christmas

It's Christmas Eve and I am preparing to load the car and spend the evening with my family. I will be wearing a fleece cheetah print onsie...we decided to have a pajama party this year. For 31 years, I have carefully picked out my Christmas Eve attire, and every year I have changed into comfortable clothes as soon as possible. We stuff ourselves with food and suddenly the nice skirt, dress, slacks, etc are more like medieval corsets trying to squeeze the last bit of substance from abdomen. So, why not just start the evening right? Hideous onsie PJs?

Another thing I have noticed today is that our Christmas tree appears to have vomited. There are piles of "things" wrapped in festive holiday paper coming from every part of our tree. It's unbelievable and a little disconcerting. Christmas is different than it was years ago. I can honestly say that there is not much that I want. I don't need or desire gifts. But, I do enjoy getting gifts for others. I like my rule: most gifts should be items that the person has no idea they want or need. It frustrates me when I get "stuck" on someone and can't decide on a good gift. The back up plan is always a gift card, but even then I hate buying obvious gift cards so I search for unique cards. Ultimately, I really just like spending the evening with my family. I enjoy the environment now that all of my siblings and cousins are adults, and so far there aren't any little babies crawling around. I like my cousins and brothers and all of the significant others that come along.

Christmas also makes me more pensive than usual. Weighing heavy on my mind today is one of lives' biggest quandaries. Why was I chosen to live a comfortable life? Why do I have Christmas tree vomit in my living room? A warm house? Spoiled dogs? A great family? People who love me? More "things" that I need? America's freedom? Freedom from a Burka? The list is long. I'm grateful for sure, but I could have just as easily been born to a young single mother in an African village without clean drinking water.

So, whatever the reason for my luck, I am so thankful. Now I am going to proudly wear my cougar suit out for a relaxing eve with my favorite people.