Of Christmas and Indoor Temperatures and Kidney Removal. You know, all things completely related.

Or let's pretend them to be so, m'kay?

So I've come to several conclusions after last week's poll. 

One, I now love polls more than double frosted sugar cookies and should like to poll you more often.  Like every day.

Two, I will be wearing a sweatshirt at the majority of your homes (because I'm so sure you're going to invite me to stop by, across the United States and Canada), with twenty-eight percent of you running a constant temperature of 69-70 degrees.  That's what I kick the furnace down to on those rare winter occasions when we leave the house, just so it doesn't take very long to lose the chill when we arrive home.

Three, sixteen percent of you disturb me with your 66 or below.  Aren't you freezing?  In your living rooms?  Coat, hat and mittens, I tell you.

Four, I was surprised to see that We Warm People with our Cozy 74 only comprised eight percent of those who participated.  I'm all for saving money, but when it comes to the temperature of my house...heat is one thing I cannot cut back on.  Even if I knocked it down just a couple degrees, I'd probably only save a hundred dollars or so while shivering all month long.  And for that I'd rather do without a family dinner and a half at TGI Fridays or something.  Just my personal philosophy.  Wear your bermudas all year long here! 

This, my husband concluded, is why our (possibly always-warm) second child refuses to wear pants in the house.

 

My living room in real-time.  Jack pants-less, using the poor sleeping canine as his personal pillow, watching Polar Express for the nine millionth time while KJ is at school (and cannot veto the nine millionth viewing of Polar Express, see?)  

Also, hey look!  A Christmas tree!

I've apparently fallen into the category of Those People this year, who have Christmas decorations up before Thanksgiving.  To offer a different perspective, may I point out that Thanksgiving falls late this year, and I very much enjoy celebrating the Christmas season in anticipation rather than post-holiday, when all is finished.  My tree generally comes down immediately after we celebrate the New Year. 

 

Also, given our calendar this holiday season and the fact that we decided to put up two trees this year, a wide open Sunday was the best time to do it.  Now we can bake cookies, construct consume gingerbread houses, write letters to Santa, watch our collection of holiday movies and run off to various holiday celebrations all by the (non) twinkling lights of our trees.  Forget ye not the heat blazing from my fireplace, also.  Heh.

One thing we will not be doing this holiday season, thankfully, is going through Marin's kidney surgery.  (You liked that segue, didn't you?) 

I took her in for another renal scan yesterday, and to meet with her surgeon again.  Everything is still the same with her kidney (not that it could change) and he didn't feel too pressed in getting the operation underway.  I did hate the thought of putting her - all of us, through that just before Christmas.  He decided to put it off until January, then realized he'd be off giving a talk in Dubai for the middle part of that month (it's always something, right?), then pushed it into early February.  The tenth of that month, to be exact. 

The surgery will take three to four hours, he said, and reassured me that she won't be able to wake herself from anesthesia this time.  (Always a plus, yes?)  The most amazing part is that he is going to remove half of a kidney and a ureter via laparoscopy!  Three one-centimeter incisions in her back is all he should need to make, unless there is an issue with bleeding, in which he would then have to make a large cut in her side to stop the bleeding and finish the operation.  Thank God for amazing doctors and modern technology, I tell you.

Now all I have to do is make sure my little reflux baby holds down her daily antibiotic for a couple more months.  A task more daunting than kidney removal, I believe.

Comments

[Hilary]

I also fell into the "those people" category this year. I put up my tree this past weekend, too. So did my mom and sister. We all helped each other and it was a lot of fun. I'm staying in the closet about this though and won't put up my outside decorations and lights until after Thursday.

[debi]

The news on Marin and her kidney is wonderful. her surgery falls on my 50 something birthday. I will be thinking of her and praying for you all. Now about the heat issue. I would love to have a cozy warm home. Maybe not as warm as you but close.Our old house has an old heater in the hall that heats the wall very nicely.I was not prepared for that when we moved here Dec 1990 with a 6 week old baby Cady.We slept in front of the fireplace and used the old porch that had been torn from the house for firewood. We had no clue what we were getting into. Cady and the other kids looked just like Randy from The Christmas Story. (you'll shoot your eye out)My house plants all froze and we could actually see our breath.It's been almost 18 years and things are a bit better but mostly we are used to freezing. I hate it. I cannot move from my pile of covers on the couch. We have a wood stove and plenty of wood. it's just that some days I am too cold to even make a damn fire and wait for the room to warm up. If I have little ones here then I get on it. Like Gage just got here so now I am making a fire. I think you are blessed to have a warm home. I am putting up our tree on Saturday. I think it will be great to get an early start for once. Gage says hello Molly.

[Erica]

That is great news on the surgery being postponed. I love your trees and your house looks so good. My kids used to strip down to their diaper/underwear as soon as they walked in the door. Now they are a bit older and just take off their shoes and socks, Jacob likes to put on silky shorts as well. So seeing Jack pantless cracks me up! Happy Thanksgiving.

[BetteJo]

My tree will be going up this coming weekend I guess. But I still say this year just went by way way WAY too fast!!!

[KARA!]

Yay! I'm glad that I am not the only that put up my Christmas tree early this year!

Also, glad to hear that you can wait a bit longer for Marin's surgery.

[Tina]

Hope you and your family has a Happy Thanksgiving! =)

[Nikki]

Molly, If you come to the UK and stop by, I'll turn the heating up just for you!! Marin's surgeon sounds like a really sensible man. Much better to get the festive season out of the way. Your trees look lovely and I would love to spend the mornings laying on the sofa watching films – well done Jack.

[Rachel]

I'm glad you get to wait to have Marin's surgery!!

I have not put up any Christmas decorations yet. All of my Christmas stuff is down at my parents house and I've yet to get down there and sort through it all. I am also trying to decide whether or not to get a real tree this year. I haven't had one since Kaylie's first Christmas and it would be kinda nice.

[Jenny Bolz]

Haha! I totally caved too! I'm officially one of "those people". I'm glad there is a plan for little Marin now! :)