It's the Most WONDERFUL Time of the Year....tra la la la la...!!

Yes, my friends, it the most wonderful time of the year. The time when presents have been opened, large meals have been cooked and devoured, carols have been sung, rum and eggnog consumed, family visited, reminiscences reminisced, boxing day sales attended or ignored as the case may be, old movies watched once again, parties enjoyed and jolly old St. Nick has finally returned to the North Pole.


Yes folks, my favorite time of the year is AFTER all of the obligatory festivities are over. Especially this year. Today is the first day that all activity has slowed to a mere crawl and I can finally stop and appreciate and reflect on all that has happened...on all that I received, of time spent with new acquaintances and old friends, of phone conversations with far away family members and thinking about what went well and what didn't. 


You see, I don't do well with the hustle bustle, the boisterous parties, the vast amounts of food and alcohol, the go go go with no stops to rest and reconnoitre in between. I'm an introvert.


Although all of the social interactions are NOT yet over - there's still dinner out with my neighbour tomorrow and New Year's dinner and parties this Saturday - today I was able to pause and recharge my batteries. I can be sociable, I can be witty and friendly and interesting...but it takes a lot out of me. It doesn't come naturally and I even have to think ahead about what I could say to people I don't know and what I could ask a total stranger when I find myself standing alone in a room full of people. Horrors...


Yes, I just typed that - "alone in a room full of people." To make things even more challenging Michael is an extrovert. He thrives on being with people. The difference between an extrovert and an introvert is where we derive our energy from. Introverts recharge by being alone, reflecting on things, being at peace in a quiet environment (HOME!) whereas extroverts recharge like a solar panel - out and about in the sun with crowds of people, noise and excitement.


Yesterday Michael and I did some boxing day shopping and he bought me two new books: "The Introvert Advantage - How to Thrive in an Extrovert World" and "Introvert Power - Why Your Inner Life is Your Hidden Strength." I am going to learn more about ME and what makes me tick and we are both going to learn more about each other. Happily I am with someone who wants to understand me and accepts me as an introvert. I imagine I'll be learning more about extroverts as well.


Our winter camping in a yurt experience should be illuminating to say the least!!


As a compromise we stayed in all day in our pjs. I was able to catch up on all of your blog posts which fills me with great happiness. There is wine mulling in the crockpot, the house is a mess and I can finally just BE. Soon we'll be going out to see Mission Impossible at the Rainbow (it's $4.00 Tuesday!) I'm re-energized and now it's Michael's turn. 

Don't I look happy? My name tag wouldn't stick to my top so I stuck it on my chest. In the photo is Robin, the hostess and her son, Jarrod. I had just found out that Jarrod and Kazi both went to the same french immersion elementary school and the same highschool - in fact, I remember him walking to the bus stop every morning with his hoodie pulled down over his face. He's a couple years older than her so they weren't best buds or anything but they did know each other. Small world! I went to the party with a good attitude, determined to talk to people and make an effort to have a good time. It worked!