I’m in present mode, full-swing. I’ve finished the presents for all my girl friends at school; they’re all the same basic thing, but personalized with their favorite color/fabric I think they’ll like. I also made something for my boyfriend which I think he’ll like. And as soon as I get the right fabric, I’ll be working on something for Andy, my little brother. I love making gifts for people; it makes me feel so useful, special, and creative! By making things, I can have it just perfect for each person. It’s just so fun to make people happy! So I’ll have pictures of all this stuff once it’s been received; the chances of anyone seeing a picture two days before she gets her present is slim, but I don’t want to risk ruining the surprise!

I made this plush balloon dog for my friend Molly for her birthday. She’s a professional facepainter; she gets tons of money for sitting under a tent at a park every weekend and painting kids’ faces. She’s one of the funniest people I’ve ever met, and it’s the perfect job for her. She recently went to a ballooning convention/lesson and was really excited about it, so I figured something like this would be perfect for her. It was a big experiment, but it wasn’t too hard. I made a long tube of the crazy colorful polka dot flannel, stuffed it, and twisted it like a real balloon dog. Then I handsewed over each twist, and put on eyes! It took quite a bit more handsewing than I had expected, but it was worth it. She loved it and found it hilarious and adorable; I was happy.

Basically, I’m always much more excited to give gifts than I am to receive them. A great reaction is the best present for me! I just like to be appreciated and show my friends how much I love them. Still, it is fun to get little things too.

So, that’s the great part about Christmas. And I also have the benefit of not having to shop during this madness. I did need some fabric, but I stocked up on Black Friday.. otherwise no other shopping was necessary, since I have enough other fabric at home to last me at least three lifetimes.

But on Saturday, when I went to Jo-Ann’s for my 2 hours of work (yes, I work 2 hours a week.), I got to be part of the madness. First, I went on the quest for a parking spot and finally found one halfway across the plaza. Then I got into work and cut away at fabric, but the line never grew shorter and the people never stopped coming. Many of them were perfectly nice, polite, calm, etc… but there were quite a few frenzied shoppers, lacking the time to wait in such lines because of all the other stores they had to hit up before they could go home and hastily sew up the last of their gifts. Once my shift was over, I trekked through the parking lot, got to my car, and got to the line to get out.

It took me an hour to get out of the parking lot.

I’m serious.

I got in my car at 1:08, and got out of the parking lot at 2:15.
JoAnn’s is in the corner of the plaza, and the entire thing only has two exits. Obviously, there are way too many stores for a parking lot with two exits. Plus, one of those stores is a Toys R Us. And there’s a Target, and a Circuit City. Not that those would be at all popular during the holidays.

For an hour, I moved about an inch every minute, because as I made my way towards my exit, at each row more cars would come out of their spaces and go in front of me in line. Somehow, I managed to stay polite, patient, and cheery; I just had to remind myself to stay in the Christmas spirit, even though times were trying, and I prayed for lots of extra patience. Then I was late to my friend’s Nutcracker, but luckily I didn’t miss her solo as the Sugarplum Fairy!

I hope all of you have a safe, blessed, happy, and thankful Christmas!