Total Lunar Eclipse of the Heart *Edit*

    Well, this week seems to be pulling together rather nicely. My plans for the holiday are falling into place.  It’s always insane for me this time of year. I’m definitely not the type to get stressed out about Christmas. I love Winter , I love snow , I love blinky lights , I love spending time with family and friends , and am realistic enough to know that nothing is going to be perfect… So what do I have to stress about?

  Tomorrow night, I have the Solstice Party at my Yoga Studio. I’ll be attending with Minx and Jocelyn, my "bendy friendys". Afterward, we will head out to a local coffee shop so I can give them their Christmas Gifts. I’m pretty excited about that part. I was out frolicking with my cousin at a shop in mid-October, when I stumbled across these crazy Santa Figurines in Yoga poses. They were perfect for my bendies. I’m dreadfully excited about them, and they’ve been sitting all wrapped up in my closet since Halloween! I hope they love them as much as I do (I also bought a set for myself, because I’m very very selfish)

    Wednesday night, I will be getting all of my prep work together for Thursday night, because I’m hosting the annual "Inner Sanctum" Christmas. Nells, Midnight Trump, Faye-Jo and myself have been enjoying our traditional secret Christmas for a few years. It actually started while I was living in Montreal, and I had come home for Christmas for a couple of short weeks. Holidays are tricky, and it can be difficult to pull plans together… Either no one is available, or EVERYONE is available and a crazy party ensues. N, MT, FJ & I were desperately trying to find a day to get together to chat, drink wine, eat cookies and exchange gifts. It was difficult to find time for just the four of us. MT, FJ, N & I are friends that have stayed in touch since the crazy ol’ High School days… We’ve traveled in the same circles and have been played big parts in each other’s lives ever since. Funny enough,  the four of us are so different,  it’s actually hard to believe that we were able to stick together , but we made it. I spent a lot of time in Montreal yearning for my friendship with these ladies… We needed to spend time together, or I probably would have melted all over the Calgary sidewalks before I headed back East. We finally settled on the 23rd at Nell’s, and a tradition was born! It has gotten increasingly more elaborate over the years, but the players remain the same. This year, I will be busting out two slow cookers… In one, I make Cocoa Beef Stew, and in the other, my (hopefully) perfected mulled wine recipe…. I’ve had some not-so-good batches in my time. Our planned activity will be Lewd Rude Gingerpeople. I will pre-make the dough on Wednesday night, and have purchased any and all candies that look vaguely like genitalia. I have set aside some brown icing and my garlic press to make pubic hair. We are set for a night of silliness and belly laughs. Hopefully , there will be enough mulled wine in us to choreograph some dances to Christmas Carols. The Tall Handsome Fellow came to chauffeur me home last year, and he was able to witness a true Christmas Miracle set to the tune of "Zat you, Santa Claus?", complete with Jazz Hands …Poor Guy.

    On Christmas Eve, Handsome Tall Fellow and I will head over to my Sister’s House to celebrate Christmas with my Sister , My Mother , My Nephew , my Brother-In-Law & Colonel Sanders. Generally, Gregor & I like to spend Christmas Eve just the two of us, but we’ve had to do some plan re-arranging this year to fit around everyone else’s schedules… Nothing too serious, and we like to be "go with the flow" type people. I have quite a few days off this holiday (after Christmas) so we’re not too worried about being able to get some alone time.

    Christmas Day is our favorite, because we head over to Greg’s Parents house in the morning, where the traditions are still the same from when him and his siblings were children. Everyone wears their Sunday Best, and Greg’s Mom has artfully strewn bits and bobs around the room to make it look like Santa has come… She puts bootprints in the fireplace soot , leaves the cookies out with the bite in them and brunch is magically set up in the dining room. I had some fairly intense culture shock the first time I went to Greg’s parents on Christmas Morning. It’s definitely a different scene from my own family Christmas. (Everyone still in their pajamas, the breakfast sandwiches come from the gas station, the coffee and juices are full of liquor, and we all need to take a nap by about 10am) …But I truly love it now. They’ve even let me incorporate some of my family traditions by allowing me to spike their orange juice with champagne.

    In the afternoon, we’ll wander over to the Christmas Dinner being held at my Dad’s House, starring himself and my (half) brother Chris. Dad’s place is where we get to sit back and relax, play some video games with Chris and enjoy a quiet afternoon. My Father and I have been slowly attempting to rebuild our relationship over the last couple of years after a long estrangement and it seems to be working (This topic is a whole other entry… It involves me running into my Dad at a grocery store after not having seen him for a couple of years, and him thinking I still lived in Montreal. It was a very awkward situation… Remind me later). This year’s gift to him from Greg and I are tickets to see "A Salute To Vienna – A New Year’s Celebration" by the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra & Friends. Dad & I will go together the second of January (day after my birthday). I really got into the idea of "giving experiences" this year to my family. My Father especially gets trapped in his life square (Home, Shoppers Drug Mart, Austrian Canadian Club, Grocery Store) and could definitely use a little shake-up to his routine. He loves Classical Music, and Strauss in particular… I thought it would be the perfect gift for him and hopefully I’ve got it right.

    Finally, on the 26th, Gregor and I will have some time to spend together during the day before we head out for "FRIEND RAUCOUS CHRISTMAS!" that night. Although truthfully, we’ve already discussed skipping that one… We’re a little jam packed this year.

I wish everyone a holiday season filled with little miracles, wherever you may be.

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On another note, I’ve been thinking about staying up to witness this lunar eclipse tonight/this morning. I have sorted out that I would have to actually exit my apartment building and stand in the greenbelt behind us to watch, as I can’t see the moon from my windows. I’m really intrigued, but I am also very tired and have a long week ahead of me. I just can’t decide.

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Edit to Add:

Ooh, I forgot to mention this little exchange that occurred on a friend’s Facebook Wall about the Lunar Eclipse, which led to my entry title. Whoops!I laughed very hard. I’m proud to know such creative & funny folks:

T: What’s this Lunar Eclipse thing all about? 

A: LOL. You didn’t know? It’s the total eclipse of the heart. For the first time in a long time, Bonnie Tyler is performing it. The twist? She’ll be performing it on the moon. Space helmets are needed to watch it in HD though. But good luck purchasing those this late in the night…

T: You’re a dick