Tuesday, December 23, 2008

I'm Gifted

The day before we set the children free for the holiday break can be a very, very, very, very loooooooong one.  Even if you rush them through their work in the days before this event so you can have fun activities, it can seem endless.  Even if half your class doesn't show up and it's mostly the kids from whom you will consider this their Christmas gift to you, the hours drip like cold molasses.  Even if people are generally in pretty good moods overall and willing to set aside the usual petty differences that permeate any school, noon will feel more like midnight.

Eventually, though, the day will finally come to its inevitable conclusion.  You might even rush it along a bit by considering the "end of the day" to really mean "after your last student has exited the building rather than the waiting for the last run of buses."  

It's not like it's my fault that none of my students are on the third trip.  Or that the secretaries are willing to enable me with this by asking only that I sign out for the day rather than wait until 3:00 officially arrives.

Frankly, I can't be blamed for leaving.  It's been a long time since I taught in a middle school and I guess I forgot how sad the snack options are at that level.  I've been at the elementary schools for a while and there are lots of parties and parent-donated goodies all over the place there.  Middle school?  Not so much.  I saw no reason to stay.

Besides, I'd done my good deeds and spread the holiday cheer.  The teaching assistants and the secretaries were gifted in a manner befitting their helpful status.  I decided that this year might be a good one to go a little "green" with the gift bags.  And who else but my favorite Dollar Store to help me in this endeavor?  



Cute little canvas totes for a buck a piece!  Got the ornaments there, too!


They were the perfect gift bags and can be easily reused.  Everyone was pleased with both the inside and the outside of their presents and, thus, I felt pretty much justified in starting the holiday break just as soon as my child-watching duties were finished.

I'd given some thought to heading down to The Yarn Sellar tonight to visit with a few Chicks With Sticks and enjoy some communal knitting.  However, the need to do some last minute holiday shopping got the better of me.  Fighting my way through the crowds and practically having to stake a claim to get a bit of wrapping paper was pretty much the end for me.  By the time I exited the store, I found myself out of goodwill for my fellow human beings and didn't feel that anyone really deserved further contact with me.  I'll make it down there next week.

In spite of my less than holly-jolly attitude towards the season, I still felt like I'd done rather well.  The shopping is now well and truly done.  If I can stay focused long enough to knit a couple of thumbs, I'll have another pair of mittens to toss someone's way on the 25th.  The staff at school were recognized for all their hard work and I was nice to the children all day long.  Even when they became bored with all the merriment and began to get fussy.  (which is not a pretty sight in a teenager...)

I couldn't help but think I deserved a little gift of my own.  It's been a while since I gave myself a present that didn't have some practical purpose.  While this wasn't exactly the one I wanted, it was still a little extravagance and something I've thought about getting.  I threw caution to the wind, ignored the fact that I have something similar, (if woefully outdated) and asked the nice lady to get one out of the display case for me.



Merry Christmas to me!!!!


I didn't even need to wrap it.  Although I might have liked one of those little tote bags...

SA

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Excellent gift for yourself!! It's just what you need for vacation.

Kath said...

Those are great little gift bags! I swear you have the bestest Dollar Store ever! I wish we had one of those around here, unfortunately we run more to hotels, restuarants and bars! (That last one can be useful though.)

Glad you splurged and took the chance to spoil yourself a little! I don't know if you meant to get a bright blue one or not, but it's much wiser than a plain black iPod, 'cause that one can be impossible to find inside a purse or backpack! (Ask me how I know this.)

sheep#100 said...

Blue is the bestest color, Sheepie! But, of course, you knew that. Nice present there.

And the dollar store gift bags - great score.

Anonymous said...

I love the gift totes; what a great idea!

I'm glad you didn't drive down here; I guess I forgot to tell you there was no CWS tonight. There definitely will be next week; can't wait to see you!

Cursing Mama said...

ooohh books on pod!

Donna Lee said...

I love my mp3 player. It's my very favoritist gadget. It keeps me company while I knit and entertains me when I ride the train. And doesn't complain or whine. And it stops talking when I tell it to.

Merry Christmas to you and the cats!

catsmum said...

fabulous bags - great way to go green this Christmas
and lovely blue thingy too!
merry xmas my sweet sheepie and Oakley, Sophie, MissC, and the newly-arrived-for-two-weeks-chez-catsmum grandkitten and great grandkitten [ Sumi and Suki respectively ] all send purrs to BFK and AGK

Mia said...

Yay! Merry Christmas to you! And those little bags are TOO cute! I'm gonna have to give that dollar store another shot.

PS. love the minuts passing like slow molasses line.. that's gonna be my day today :)

Anne P said...

Sa-Weet! Great gift to you and yourself, Sheepie!

Enjoy the holidays - lots of treats for those two furry beasties at your end as well. :D

Cathy said...

Terrific gift bags! There's a Dollar Store on the other side of the hotties and do you know I've never been in it?

Must. Go.

Anonymous said...

I am happy for you and your new toy! It will make many boring and trying times more bearable, said the woman who actually enjoyed spending six hours at the airport because she had the foresight to bring her knitting and her iPod. Merry Christmas to the Sheepie and Feline household -- may the Christmas faeries watch over you all!

knitseashore said...

What a great gift-to-yourself!! Enjoy!!

I hope you and the AGK and BFK have a wonderful Christmas with the sheepie family, and a good long, lazy break to enjoy nice snuggly naps!!!

mehitabel said...

Wonderful self-present! I made good use of my iPod while sewing the Baby Ragg Quilts from The Nether Regions. I must say, though, those gift bags are really cute. I must start spending more time at my local dollar store.

Wait, what am I saying??

Beth said...

Great tote bags! Fussy teenagers = bad, bad news. And congratulations on your iPod!!!