"May I have this dance?"

I have the sweetest husband ever!

No, really, I do.

Something I have wanted to learn to do (for a very long time) is learn to ballroom dance. Not the "shake your booty kind of dancing along with all the other parts that shake" dancing, but elegant, classy dancing. Like Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.
Like Rhett Butler and Scarlett O'Hara.
Like George and Mary in "It's A Wonderful Life" (I know, that was The Charleston, but it sure looked fun!)
Like Leonard and Dianne next Spring after some Ballroom Dancing Classes.

Oh yes, you read that correctly; your eyes did not deceive you.
For my Christmas gift, Leonard signed us up for lessons at The Balanced Body Studio and Wellness Center. ( http://balancedbodystudio.com/) It is WAY out of his comfort zone and certainly has never been on his list of life goals.

But he knows it is on mine. He gave me a gift, but not just a gift. It was a sacrifice on his part to give up time and probably some pride to do this with me.

He said I am not to embarrass him by writing about this. So, shhhh....
My intent is not to embarrass him, but to tell the world how much I love the man I am married to.

And next Christmas, we can dance under the mistletoe.

Do I have to wrap the gifts?

I have never really liked wrapping gifts. It doesn't matter if it is birthday gifts, Christmas gifts, or just an "I am thinking of you" gift; I don't like wrapping any of them. The funny thing is, I like looking at wrapping paper and picking out the ones that will match my house. I like all the ideas I see of how to wrap in creative ways. I've even saved magazine articles with wrapping suggestions. So, why don't I like wrapping gifts?

First of all, it takes time to do it nice, to make it creative. And then, in 3.8 seconds or less, the hard work is ripped off and tossed into a pile on Christmas morning. Was it appreciated? Or even noticed?

Second of all, it requires tape and scissors, which for some reason at my house, always come up missing. 

Third, I am a bit of a perfectionist, and if I can't do it right, I don't really want to do it at all. 

Therefore, presents on birthdays are usually handed to the birthday person still in the bag or box. (I do at least take the price tag off.) Sometimes I just throw a blanket over the gift. I have even been known to tell the person to close their eyes while I bring the present to them and then, when all looks ready, I tell them to open their eyes and "Voila!"

I guess I could resort to throwing my offering into a gift bag, but that requires making the tissue paper look pretty at the opening of the bag. Too much work.

I could wait to put the unwrapped gifts under the tree until Christmas morning, but the chaos of which gift goes to which person would not be my idea of festive. Not to mention the fact that my children enjoy actually opening their gifts. (This may be because it doesn't happen any other time of the year.) 

Tonight I want to finish wrapping presents. I think I will listen to a new Christmas CD by Sephira called "Starlight." Maybe I'll light a candle or two. I may even wear a Santa hat. 

Who knows? I may even get creative and make a few name tags instead of just scribbling a name on with a Sharpie marker. 

Wrapped and, umm, labeled with Sharpie marker.
Note to self: Make proper name tags and pray for the person while making their tag.

I have had this paper for years; it is probably my least favorite because it doesn't match my house or personality.
 Somehow this roll NEVER runs out.

Okay, these aren't my gifts. But to learn how, see the following website:

http://www.ehow.com/how_6190453_christmas-wrap-tie-ribbons-gifts.html

(you can copy and paste in your little search window)

On the 1st Day of Xmas, my true love gave to me...a lobster trap

I am listening to the The Letterman Christmas CD as they sing "The 12 Days Of Christmas". What a lot of work to gather all these gifts over the course of 12 days! And seeing as so many of the gifts were either animals or people, I can't imagine that they were all cooperative. I am thankful that my gift-giving is so much simpler. Or is it?

I think in the search for that "perfect" gift, we sometimes get so caught up in making it just right, that the spirit of giving becomes the spirit of stressed-out-ed-ness. (How's that for a word?)

In looking for a gift for Leonard, I will admit I am kinda stumped this year. I am trying too hard to find the gift that says "Romance" (in a masculine kind of way), "Useful", "Wanted", and "I am thinking of you above me." I want him to have a reaction like a Hallmark card and a sentimental Christmas coffee commercial all together.

When looking at years past, I think sometimes I have given gifts that, while he may have liked them, the gift was more for both of us, or I ended up using it more than him. Not exactly what I have in mind for this year. (Not that I have anything in mind yet anyhow.) Hence the dilemma.

That's my man!

I think the best gift I ever gave him was a lobster trap. It was our third Christmas as a married couple. Our honeymoon had been in Nova Scotia (lots of lobsters) and the trap was sentimental, romantic, and we even made it useful; it serves as a coffee table.

Okay, just to be fair, here's one of me from the same Christmas (1990)
Hey, I just realized I am the age Adrienne is now. Wow!