T minus 15 days until Christmas. T minus 10 days until I am in Colorado. I'm preparing myself now for the subzero temperatures they've been facing recently (as Abbey has constantly been reminding me: temperature 3 degrees, feels like -12). I think it's nice to have cold weather during December--really puts you in the spirit of things, increases the desire for warm beverages, fireplaces, and above all it promotes puzzles. What a fun word. Puzzle. Meanwhile I'm just floating around Santa Barbara (which has actually been quite chilly itself recently), and looking to find the Christmas Spirit wherever I can.
Tis the season of awkward work parties as well! I do love hearing a good story about work Christmas parties. Try as they might, there is always one or two people who get a little too loosey goosey at the party. I can almost see where they're coming from; with the tough deadlines, hard work, stress of the holidays, family coming into town.... But I can't imagine anything much more awkward than the Monday you come into work after a Friday night office bash.
And then there's the scenario of the office who doesn't know how to communicate with each other outside of the scope of their work. I think we all know that the result of that is exceedingly uncomfortable small talk with a handful of tense silences thrown in there for fun. In my opinion, there's nothing less fun than talking about work, at a office party. I mean have a little imagination people!
I haven't even approached the office party situation where you come as the awkward date. Perhaps all the co-workers know about you, but you've never met any of them....
Then there's the dress-up in character parties.
The black tie events.
The business casual (honey are these khaki pants appropriate?) event.
Ok you get the picture. These scenarios are endless. There's only one thing that we can really do. EMBRACE THEM. Squeeze the life out of these fancy shmancy shindigs and experience it for what it is. There's always something good that will come out of it. Even if it is just a story.....
8 maids a-milking.
7 swans a-swimming! Synchronized, of course.
Six geese a laying (by the ocean, not laying eggs)...do geese even lay eggs? Yes I know they lay golden eggs, but normal ones?
5 gooooooolden rings! (ding dong ding dong ding)
4 calling birds. Whom...may I ask....are they calling? My best guess is probably the three french hens. Yes, it's an international call, but still. 
Why French? Why not American? I mean, the song is sung in English....not French. I'm just saying...
Okay...as Andy Bernard so aptly pointed out, it's a bit curious that the first seven days of the 12 days of Christmas is basically 30 birds. That's a lot of fowl. I wonder if the partridge shares the pear tree, or if the other birds have to continue to hover in the air until the 12th day is complete? Just think of the chaos...especially when you get the maids-a-milking, dancers dancing, and drummers drumming.
