Christmas Preparations

This morning I dragged everyone out into the cold to attend the Christmas Parade through Old Town Manassas.  It was quite an event with over 100 entries in the parade, to include several local high school bands, motorcycle groups, politicians, church groups, dance groups, boy and girl scout troops, emergency vehicles from several neighboring towns, horses, etc.  There were literally thousands of people lining the streets of old town braving the frigid weather and stiff winds.  Although the temperature was hovering around 40, the wind chill felt like it was in the 20′s.  It was a very nice parade, but we had to get there an hour before it started to stake our plot along the sidewalk.  We stayed for over an hour into the parade, and only saw about a third of it go by!  We were all just too cold and hungry to stick around for the rest.  Over some protest by Delaney, we shuttled off and went to the Silver Diner for some late breakfast/lunch. 

The Christmas parade was yet another sign that the season is imminently upon us.  Last weekend after Thanksgiving with Karen’s parents, I returned to the house and put up the outdoor Christmas lights.  I went a bit more overboard than usual this year, but it still looks nice.  We have placed lighted wreaths in 6 of the windows in the front of the house (all of the windows with the exception of the one on the front porch, which was left open so the tree can be seen through the window).  I have also put light roping around the columns on the front porch, and icicle lighting on the eaves.  I purchased and erected a 6′ tall wire framed tree with colored lights on the front porch that looks nice at night.  Lastly, I completely wrapped the trunk and branches of one of the two trees in the front yard in white mini lights.  It looks really cool.  After I finished, we put on Christmas music and drove out and through a local light show that opened the week of Thanksgiving.  It was too expensive for what it was ($20 a car for a 2′ish mile drive through some neat lighted displays), but it put us all in a happy mood and unlike last year when we went late in the season, it was not bumper-to-bumper going through the display.

Last Saturday, I also went Christmas shopping in my first trip to a mall in ……I don’t know how long.  The crowds weren’t too bad on Saturday, as most people were probably recovering from Black Friday.  I mostly shopped for Karen’s gifts and found and bought some cool things.  I still have more shopping to do, but I am about 60% complete.  Karen is already done and her presents are already wrapped…..it is a sickness!  I need the pressure of the season to get my most productive shopping done.  You know what they say…if you wait until the last minute, it only takes a minute!   

Last week, I had an opportunity to try out the new migraine meds for the second time.  Unlike the first time, this time it didn’t work.  In fact, I had some sort of reaction to the meds that were a bit disconcerting.  Aside from leaving my headache intact, my hands and feet felt like someone had lit them on fire.  The painful sensation lasted several hours.  I contacted the doctor to get some new/different meds.  I am unsure what the reaction was, but I know that I sure don’t want to experience it again! 

I am heading out of town again tomorrow for my last business trip before Christmas.  I may have to see if I can get any more hopping done in the evenings while there.