Christmas Adventures and Wishes

It's about 4:15PM on Christmas Day as I type this, and I'm so thankful it's all coming to an end for another year.

I had a small adventure, water heater related, Christmas Eve night. I had noticed, during the day, that I was getting only warm water, whereas normally it's scalding hot. But I didn't think anything of it until supper time, when I finally had the bright idea to actually take a look at my water heater. It was set to "vacation" (i.e. warm) and there were three yellow alerts on: A, B, and C. I hauled out the manual and took a look, found the applicable error code, followed instructions...and nothing. That necessitated a call to our utility company, and while it's more expensive in the long run to rent a water heater, as I do, I was thanking my stars for it last night. The on-duty guy had to come out, got here just after 7PM and left just before 8PM. He had to replace the temperature gauge, which had clogged up with calcium (due to the hard water). The water heater is less than three years old, too. But I'm glad it was an easy fix, and with no cost to me. Besides, I learned a few things too.  :-)

As for Christmas wishes..I cursed Santa up and down early this morning, and flipped him the bird a couple of times, because the family next door was still home. But just after 8AM they all packed up and left, presumably for Toronto (his family is there). Of course I had to apologize profusely to the man in the red suit, and I did my happy dance, even shed a few tears of relief. They might be back tonight, but at least I will have had one day where I haven't been waiting for the other shoe to drop. Because while they've been quiet since the last big fight over the "her" the wife was screaming about, I'm always tense, wondering when things are going to start up again. Wondering when the wife is going to flip out and come and rant at me for something absurd and/or untrue.

So the day has been peace-full and quite lovely, cold but plenty of sunshine, and I actually opened my front door (I have a screen/storm door) all morning to let the light shine in. Literally and figuratively.

I got a load of laundry done, vacuumed, opened the crazy number of presents my mom had sent, and opened the gifts for the boys too. The opposable thumb thing. They were less than impressed, except with the new wand toys. And the treats, of course. Even all the paper didn't interest them this year, which was a surprise. And since I had cooked a roast chicken for myself yesterday, it was lefotvers for lunch, then out to Starbucks in the afternoon with a friend.

My thanks to my mom for all the goodies, though she went overboard, as she tends to. I'd better stop stuffing my face with desserts, otherwise I won't be able to squeeze into the slacks she gave me.  :-)

The yummiest gift she sent? (And the one that made me burst out with laughter.)

 

BTW, Mr. April is my favourite (not the cover), which is fitting, since April is my birth month. And I was tickled to find that about half the months were signed (to me) by the men themselves. Mom must really have enjoyed getting this. She got to see the real thing! LOL.

Happy Christmas, everyone. I hope you've all had a good celebration.