Project 365: 2

Every year during the holidays, I put away our normal mugs and bring out the Christmas tree ones. They sit so beautifully in my hutch, reminding me with every morning cup of coffee that the holidays have arrived. They are a charming accent to my favorite time of year. They remind me that the time for relaxing and enjoying family has come. They make me happy. Trouble is, they really, really bug my husband. No, he doesn't have a personal vendetta against Christmas or Christmas mugs. He even agrees that they're cute. His issue, however, is that they're too small. You see, our regular mugs are HUGE. They hold 10 steaming ounces of caffeine. He's so used to having a truck load of coffee from a single mug poured down his gullet every morning that it is incredibly difficult for him to adjust when the holidays arrive- I mean, you guys, for the same effect with the small mugs, he has to get up and pour himself another cup! (Oh, the humanity!) So yesterday, when I packed up the adorable Christmas mugs and brought back out the old faithfuls, the hubbster rejoiced. (Literally- he breathed a sigh of relief and exclaimed his excitement to have them back.) But for me, it was bittersweet. Putting away the holiday mugs means no more more baking cookies every week. It means no more wrapping presents, no more holiday music, no more warm fuzzies with the kiddos watching The Grinch as the tree glows softly in the background. Bringing out the big mugs means we're back to normal, back to work, and back to the necessity of 10 ounces of coffee every morning. It means I've got a whole 'nother year until my favorite time of year. Boo. (Is there a "bah humbug" exclamation for the non-holiday season?) But you know, it's not all bad. There are little glints of joy along the way to Christmas again. For example, my normal mug has pictures of my darling son on it, making for a lovey-dovey-caffeine-rush like no other. I guess getting back to normal isn't so bad.

2/365: Back to Normal
(click photo to enlarge)