Hopping around the Christmas tree

Mum and I drove to the Ikea store in Burlington yesterday afternoon to get our Christmas tree. We usually wait until the start of December to do this, but what with the ex fix surgery coming up on Wednesday we decided to do it early this year. That way I can take part in the holiday festivities a bit before I enter my narcotic induced haze and we don' t have to worry about it once I am discharged from the hospital.

The plan was to go to Dundurn Castle, which has been decorated for the holidays, first. When we drove past we saw it was crazy busy, with a long line out the door! We decided it wasn't worth standing in line for. I have adapted to my crutches quite well, but standing in one spot for a prolonged period of time is still a challenge. For some perspective, try standing on one foot in the same spot for twenty minutes. Pretty hard to do, right? Plus, I have started having some issues with numbness in my right hand fingers as a result of using the crutches (at least four more months to go...). While the numbness does go away once I sit down, we don't want this to become a permanent issue. So standing in line for an hour plus is not a good use of my time on crutches.

Mum suggested we go to Ikea right away to get our tree, but I had other plans in mind. I drove almost an hour to see a museum and gosh darn it I was going to see a one! During the winter semester I lived in downtown Hamilton near a historic house, Whitehern. I walked past the building every morning to get to my bus stop and always intended to visit but never got to it (nursing school being crazy busy and all). I suggested we go there instead to my mum. Brilliant idea! The please was completely empty. For most of the tour, we were the only visitors there. As a result, the tour guide was able to go into detail about everything and mum and I could ask whatever questions we had. Like Dundurn Castle, it was decorated for Christmas as well. Such a treat!

If anyone is interested, here is the link to this historic site's website.

This evening I decorated the tree. Mum set it up and put tinsel and lights in it last night. Obviously I couldn't really help with this because of the crutches. But I could still hang ornaments as long as I didn't try to reach the branches at the top of the tree because that would result in me knocking both myself and the tree with all those lovely glass ornaments over. So my brother and I hung out a bit in the living room while I decorated the tree. The crutches got in the way too much so I just hopped around on one foot. Man! Tree decorating on one foot should be an olympic sport. There are some serious balance issues involved there!

Every year at least on of us ends up hitting our head off the lamp. This years count so far: Mum - 2, me - 1, brother - 0. 

In addition to the little tree I set up in my room earlier this month, I got a second one to go on the desk beside my bed. I decorated it in tiny paper matryoshka dolls.

In addition to all the decorations, we have been endulging in a box of clementines and today it got considerably colder and snowed! And not tiny insignificant specks of snow either, but big fluffy flacks of it. Now it looks, feels, and smells like Christmas. I am loving it and soaking up every minute before surgery and the external fixator. On that note, I am ready for surgery. I picked up my prescription for antibiotics from the pharmacy today, bought some toiletries for while I am in the hospital, and pulled out some old bedding to use so the fixator doesn't ruin my nice devout cover. All that is left to do now is wait.