a birthday tree and new years

I have one of those birthdays that falls between Christmas and New Year's. A mixed blessing.

The other day, as I passed a discarded christmas tree on the curb, I was reminded of a childhood birthday. My parents always tried to make my birthday distinct from the rest of the holidays. One year (and I can't remember how old I was), they claimed one of those discarded trees, snuck it into the house on my birthday, and decorated it especially for me. (I think they used ribbons and bows, so as not to use Xmas ornaments). It was my very own "birthday tree", and I still smile 20+ years later to think of it. I have awesome parents.

New Year's was a social whirlwind. We left the cold-and-snowy to return to fog, although we saw an amazing sunset above the clouds. Then we dashed off to a New Year's Eve party after dumping our luggage and a quick meal. Got up New Year's Day and sat in a bar for 3 hours. What? There was an all-important hockey game on. Then joined many hung-over friends for a late brunch/dinner/afternoon meal, before returning home for the evening. A lot of fun, and now we're catching up, settling in, and taking deep breaths before next week's return to the daily grind.

Of course, I sent off a job application this morning. So there's always something...