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Holiday Hustle: Shopping, Movies, and a Christmas Surprise

What a week!

You know, I always forget just how much Christmas shopping there is to do for my family—and everyone else, for that matter. We’ve been trying to knock out most of it over the past few days, but Noah was finishing up his exams last week, so he was pretty distracted. He didn’t get me his Christmas list until super late, which put me a little behind schedule. I think we’ve got most of it taken care of now—well, not everything. There are still some things we’re waiting on. We did a lot of shopping in stores, and for the rest, we placed orders online, so now it’s just about waiting for everything to show up in the mail.

Whenever I order Christmas gifts, I always try to get them done by the first week of December. That gives everything plenty of time to arrive—hopefully without any delays. Even Amazon Prime, which usually promises two-day delivery, starts to drag a bit as the holidays get closer. It’s funny how “two-day shipping” can suddenly turn into a week or even longer when the rush starts. So now I’m keeping an eye on the tracking numbers, hoping everything gets here on time.

Image (4)We did get our Christmas tree up this week, and it feels nice to see those first presents starting to pile up underneath. There’s just something about a lit-up tree that makes everything feel a little more festive. But I also had to deal with the front yard decorations this year. I’ve always loved putting up blow-ups—they’re fun, they’re cheerful, and the kids always liked them when they were younger. But this year, my old blow-ups just decided they’d had enough. Three of them had so many holes they couldn’t hold air at all, and the material was just worn thin. I tried to see if I could patch them up, but there were just too many holes—too far gone.

I realized that the old decorations were about 10 years old, so I guess it was time for replacements anyway. I ordered some new ones, and it’s amazing how much blow-ups have changed since I bought the originals. The new ones are bigger, more detailed, and way more impressive. They should arrive soon, and we’re planning to get them set up next week—just in time for Christmas.

On top of all the holiday stuff, I’ve also been trying to organize my home office. I moved a lot of files and equipment from my Charlotte office down to the Peachtree City location, and right now, it’s chaos. In Charlotte, everything was set up exactly the way I liked it, but in Peachtree City, I’m still figuring it out. I like a neat and organized workspace, so having everything scattered around is driving me crazy. I spent some time this week trying to sort through the mess, and I’ll probably keep chipping away at it until it’s just right.

Image (7)Of course, this time of year wouldn’t feel complete without watching some of our favorite Christmas movies. It’s funny how we always end up going back to the same ones year after year, even though there are always new ones coming out. Holly loves the Hallmark Christmas movies—those romantic comedies where everything wraps up perfectly in the end. But as a family, we have a couple of favorites we watch every year.

The Jim Carrey version of The Grinch is a big one in our house—it’s always a lot of fun to watch, and it’s one of those movies that never gets old. Another one we love, though not as many people know about it, is The Family Man with Nicolas Cage. It’s a great movie that we’ve watched every Christmas since it first came out. If you haven’t seen it, it’s about a guy who chooses a career-focused life and gets a glimpse of what could’ve been if he’d chosen family instead. It’s heartwarming and always reminds us to focus on what really matters.

Next week, we’ve got some plans to see Noah and his girlfriend up in High Point, and then Noah will come back to Peachtree City with us. Sam, on the other hand, is heading out on a pre-Christmas ski trip with some friends. He’s excited about it, and I hope they have a great time—and a safe trip.

Our dog Teddy also gave us quite a scare this week. On Thursday night, he got sick out of nowhere—some kind of infection that made it hard for him to breathe. He was really struggling, and it had me pretty worried. Teddy’s an older French Bulldog, and with dogs his age, you always worry about what might come up. Thankfully, we got him taken care of, and he’s feeling much better now. That definitely added some stress and drama to the week, though. It’s always tough when a pet gets sick—they’re part of the family, and you just want them to be okay.

Image (8)To cap off the week, a friend invited me to a National Fighting Championship (NFC) event in Atlanta at The Battery. It was a local MMA event, and we had a blast. I got to meet some Image (9)great people, including someone who owns a few MMA gyms, and it’s always impressive to watch those fighters give it their all in the ring. Honestly, I think the fighters at this level fight even harder than the UFC guys. For them, every fight feels like their entire career is on the line, so the intensity is just through the roof. It’s inspiring to watch their determination and grit up close.

The event went late, though, and I stayed up way past my usual bedtime. I was definitely feeling it the next day, but it was worth it for the experience.

All in all, it’s been a busy but good week. Christmas is right around the corner, and we’re starting to feel that holiday spirit. I hope everyone else is having a great Christmas season, too—enjoying time with family, getting their shopping done, and maybe watching some of those favorite Christmas movies.

And remember, if you are in pain, call Shane!


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