Bursting

Christmas has officially come to our house in Baker Lake, Nunavut!

We are bursting with FEELINGS, glitter and lots and lots of presents. No really, we are bursting at the seams with all of these things!!

I have been back and forth so much at the post office picking up packages every day (sometimes twice a day), that our post lady said she's seen me more this week than the past few months combined. It has been so exciting to open our PO box and seeing that pick-up slip (or two, or three), that I actually was looking forward to this past Monday because it meant the mail was coming! :)

A silly part of me was worried when we decided that we were staying in Nunavut for Christmas that everyone at home was going to have a merry celebration and forget about us way up here (very similar to my worry as a child that when I went to sleep, everyone stayed up and played with my toys). However, it could not be further from the truth - judging from the cards and packages we've been receiving, we certainly have not been forgotten!! I don't know what we did in a past life to deserve such amazing people around us in this life, but we're so very, very grateful and thank the heavens every day that we are as lucky as we are.

We are being spoiled rotten and I actually had to move the couch over because there was no room left under the tree! My sister even sent us stockings full of presents, which are now hanging by the TV with care.

It has actually been so overwhelming that I burst into tears, (I know, by now you're all saying, "what else is new? You cry at everything!!") but in my defense, most of the other tears have been because I'm sad - these were tears of "oh my goodness, how did we get so lucky to have all this LOVE surrounding us??" Totally different tears. Totally acceptable tears! It's a lot for my little heart to process!

One item in particular that I have to note is from my BFF - she's been sending us care packages once a month since we moved, and December's had a super special treat for us. The back story is that I always try to solicit random hugs from her, and she's soooooo not a hugger. So for half our lives, I'd try to sneak-ninja-hug-attack her...just for kicks. In this care package, she sent a DIY-Hug from her because she thought we could use some hugs from home...and it made me laugh and cry at the same time. Here I am enjoying my hug; not quite as warm as a real one, but loving just the same.

Of course, I'd give up all the presents for a trip home to be with everyone for the holidays (unless there's something really, really awesome under the tree...then we'd have to negotiate. ha!). Because as nice as presents are, nothing really beats hugs from dads or smelling perfume on moms...as much as we try to fill our schedules to keep us busy, it's not really Christmas unless we're home.

-L