The merryest grinch in town

Lindsay's Christmas love:

*Bought tree
*Decorated tree
*Put up stockings
*Listened to Christmas CDs
*Played Christmas tunes on guitar
*Made festive swag out of leftover tree branches in Home Depot garbage
*Hung swag jauntily on door of house
*Undertook complicated and time-consuming, yet fun and rewarding cardmaking project
*Undertook creative giftmaking project for many friends
*Worked to perfect recipe to enter in work Holiday Party cookie contest (They shall be called Santa's Fantasy Cookies. I plan to WIN. I have been reminded of my extreme competitiveness.)
*Hung festive and humorous cartoons at work
*Began purchasing presents
*Picked up shifts as favors to coworkers in exchange for bottle of fancy wine
*Bought menorah with Ben
*Bought stickers for Worms for last day of class
*Awesome Secret Santa-ing (Oh you would be so lucky to have me as your dollar-stretching, pretty packaging, deftly delivering Secret Santa)
*Much excitement for work holiday party on the Sunday night after working the desk Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday

Lindsay's Christmas grinchy fury:

*Minor anger at self-imposed cutting of many tiny felt pieces
*Working at one job or another for 14 days in a row
*Extreme busyness at front desk, registering for classes, selling many gift certificates, field trips, concerts, graduation performances
*Much additional picking up of slack amidst holiday business due to higher ups enjoying their end-of-year vacation days
*Working manager shifts for non-manager pay and zero benefits
*Inability to go to Dad and uncle Dave's birthday party in Milwaukee due to extra (self-imposed) work shifts
*General frustration at being at the bottom of the OTS totem pole: for example, the people who decide when the desk will be open or closed are not the people who will have to work those days
*Knowing that next week we will have to redeem every gift certificate we are selling this week
*Grumpy that Ben took a road trip to Buffalo to see football with friends since I'm working all weekend anyway, and thus will be arriving late to much-anticipated holiday party
*Limit on potential Sunday night party celebration due to final WW classes of session Monday morning at 9am


So you see my dilemma? I am all ready to be merry and bright, but am so busy making money and helping other people with their holiday needs that I'm running out time and energy for the fun stuff I want to do!

In the meantime I got all my wallet stuff figured out. I'm an official Illinoisan. I have a check card again. The worst part was that during the big holiday field trips this week I was totally nervous and paranoid the entire time, with all the people and commotion. I was mad that some kid stole my ability to feel safe in my own workplace along with my wallet.

I am fried. These past days at work have been insane! Time to stop looking at computers and rest until I have to open up the building again at 8:30 tomorrow.

Send me good cookie vibes for tomorrow night; I must win!