e st'de

There are nine words in the English lnnguage that, if erro· neously uttered in my presence, will dnmn ncHr get a person hot at this point: "I'm almost done my Christmas shopping, how about you?" (My sister-in-law actually suid this to me in early November).

Done? Hell, I haven't even started! In fact, l' don't even let my kius write out their wish lists until I'm done my finul exams a~ far as I'm concerned, it's just something else l have to read-and remember-at a time when I'm leaving textbooks in the loo in order to make the most of cvc.·ry waking moment. (Laugh if you want, but there's a lock on the door and the courtesy of five minu1e·s peuce in there).

Well. the kids have started to pressure u~ ubout putting up the decorntions and thc like, but really, <.:0nsidcringthat exnm-lime is fast approaching, the only festive glow arounJ here is the burning of the proverbial midnight oil in a futile atte111ptto complete all of our last-minute assignments. In fact, most of my writing at the morncnt sports a holiday colour theme through• out: what, with nil of those lilllc red and green lines under the words. who could po sibly accuse me of 1101gelling into 'the mood''? Besides, my desk1op wallpaper has trees on it.

ln all reality, though. T like Christmas; it's the one morning every year that I could actually sleep in until noon and the kidfl would never notice (I'm kidding). Turkey dinner is a wonderful excuse lo say 'diets be damned' and eat way too much which is probably why the avcrage household only has three turkey dinner per year; it takes at least three months for one's gastrointestinal tract to recover.

But back 10 shopping: no, I haven't got anything done beside purchase a couple of packages or cards that I'll probably never get around to mailing out in time. 1 console myself with Ille fact that in my family the women are highly allergic to tamps, thus preventing us from using the traditional postal system 10 spreud holiday cheer. If it weren't for ~111ail, I don't think we'd manage to stay in touch at all; for example, during the summer, my sister moved into a new house and was kind enough to forward her new 'co-ordinates' to me in a batch etnnil. But I have lots of ideas about what each of my children needs/wa11tsto find unJer the tree this year, like socks und underwear, a11dit just wouldn't be Christmas unless they ead1 got a brand new toothbrush in thei1 stockings. Besides. I only shop because I like to wrnp, and I wrap nhsolutely cvcrything at Christmas. The kius think Lhcy get a truckload of stuff every year, but thl.\t'S because I'm hiding behind the couch re-wrap• ping everything just lo make the motning last a little more than fifteen minutes. Reduce, reuse, recycle!

Being a st11de111might put a financial pinch on Christmas cel• ebrations, but it certainly helps to keep other, more important ,1spectsof the season in focus. like spending time together. And considering that we adults have more time off over the holidays th;in do the kitls. we' II he sure to remind them of thal every morning when they go out the door to catch the bus to school.

But in all seriousness. I look l'orwaru to this lime of year wh1:n I gel to spend ~ome time with our kids and just have fun with them wi1hout worrying about homework a1.signmcnts or bedtime schedules. Two wc1:ks. though. is all thnt <.:anb1: enjoyed hcfnre there·s 1he need to get back to the academic arena where lh<1ughtsare rntional. sentences arc complete. anu lines of urgun,ent arc not always successfully concluded with ·cuz I ~aiu o· at lca~t. that's what the kids tell me.

I hope everyone h,,s a happy, safe, button-popping holiday. I, for one, huv1: a forn1idahle wrili11g assignment to tackle once clas es conclude this semester it' called Christmas correspondence