My internal alarm clock wakes me up at 6:30, and since I'm in Utah and sleeping in a strange bed, I've been awake by 5:00 every morning. The rest of the people in the house roll out of bed around nine.
Which leads to Christmas morning. I am under strict orders to not wake anyone up. I want to do something special for those four hours, but I don't know exactly what.
Ideas: 1. Go somewhere where they might need help that early. This sounds great, but...I need to be back by nine, and I can't risk being late.
2. Sing Christmas carols under the moonlight and greet the morning that way. This is what I've done the past two years and I haven't ruled it out, but I want something more, I think.
3. Pray it snows during the night and that way I can shovel my neighbor's walks. I'll have four hours. That a lot of snow shoveling. This would be perfect, but I can't count on snow.
4. Cook something. The problem with this is that my step-mother has a traditional breakfast that she always makes. I don't think it would be appreciated.
And...I'm out. Y'all have any ideas?
Posted by ElJay (Member # 6358) on :
But, but... it is the job of the first kid up to wake everyone else! That's how it works! Preferably by getting all the other kids up quietly first, and then you all run in and jomp on the adult's bed all at once yelling "Wake up, wake up, it's Christmas!!!!"
You should try it. I bet they end up appreciating it.
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
Sadly, no. You'd think so, but I did that the first year I got back from my mission, and I got yelled at for it. The next year I was expressly forbidden to even think about it. I mentioned my dillemma to my dad today, and he suggested Tylonal PM. I'm on my own. I wonder what I can do?
[ December 23, 2004, 09:41 PM: Message edited by: katharina ]
Posted by ElJay (Member # 6358) on :
Then I'm gonna go with "pray for snow." That would be so awesome, to spend a couple of hours shoveling, and then come in and make hot chocolate. If if doesn't snow, is there something else you can do for the neighborhood?
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
Make cookies, ring the doorbell, and run? Drop thank-you letters from Santa down chimneys? Put a Santa hat on a pumpkin on a stick and haunt the windows?
Posted by ElJay (Member # 6358) on :
Oh, yeah, and if they're willing to leave you on your own for four hours, I think they should be able to deal with you cooking something if you feel like it. If it can't be breakfast, maybe you can bake a dessert for later in the day? Baking can be time-consuming, and plus it will smell nice when everyone wakes up. Or bread! You could bake bread... dunno what you'd do during the rising time, though.
Posted by ElJay (Member # 6358) on :
Probably shouldn't ring doorbells. If you can't wake your family up, you can't wake the neighbors up, either.
I like the pumpkin with the santa hat idea.
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
*considers* My mom had a recipe for cinnamon rolls around here somewhere - maybe cinnamon bread as to not compete with the abelscoobers?
quote:I like the pumpkin with the santa hat idea.
I do too, but my parents live in a rich, conservative, older community. The neighbors' most likely reaction would be to 1) call the police, and 2) consider it the final sign that I've gone completely off my rocker.
[ December 23, 2004, 09:49 PM: Message edited by: katharina ]
Posted by ElJay (Member # 6358) on :
Ya know, if you get arrested Christmas morning, next year they really can't complain if you wake them up. Obviously it is better than the alternative.
Posted by Chris Bridges (Member # 1138) on :
Spend it at Hatrack, obviously.
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
Cinnamon bread, wassail, Hatrack, and pray for snow. I think that could work. Posted by ElJay (Member # 6358) on :
I suspect that I am a combination of a grinch and a bad influence. I'm glad you're finding something that will work for you.
Posted by raventh1 (Member # 3750) on :
I'd say drink cocoa and chat with me, but I'll be sleeping. Did you get my email?
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
I vote for baking. You could get bread or cinnamon buns going, and during the rising time, bake some cookies or something. Totally smell up the whole house. That sounds great! And you can mail me some! Yeah! Posted by Hobbes (Member # 433) on :
Or, cinnamon rolls, only break up some sweetned chocolate and mix it in with the dough (once it's raised), or perhaps, take that chocolate and melt it in with the cinnnamon/sugar/butter conconction you'll be spreading on the rolls. I've been dying to do that for a while and I could live vicariously through you. Or heck, I could vicariously spell all those words right, but it's going to have to be through someone else since I'm obviously not the man for the job.
Hobbes Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
Mmmmm. Yum..... And maybe add caramel. . . Yum!
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
raventh, I did. I sent you a PM - I keep putting off calling until I know what schedule is, but no one seems to know the plans until the morning of. I think next week, though, because I found out yesterday that things are planned through Sunday evening with my family.
I think baking will be fun.
I do kind of want something cool still. I'm tempted to spray paint a note from Santa in the snow. My dad bellowed with laughter when I told him about the pumpkin and hat idea, but quickly declined to join. They seriously aren't in for anything that would disturb their hair or require something non-proper for longer than ten minutes. I made a welcome home banner for my brother and they laughed politely and took it down within 24 hours. In other words, a note from Santa would freak them out. I still like it, though.
Posted by Trisha the Severe Hottie (Member # 6000) on :
Scatter reindeer poo on the neighbors' lawns? I can hook you up with a reputable source...
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
I'm going for whimsical, not malicious...
Posted by Trisha the Severe Hottie (Member # 6000) on :
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
Okay.
------
Hmm...what else is there? I could spray paint a sign on the side of the mountain - that's completely doable. What should it say?
Posted by Trisha the Severe Hottie (Member # 6000) on :
So do you just not get my sense of humor or do you really think I'm malicious? I feel kind of bad knowing you're in town and not knowing whether I should try to get together with you.
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
Sounds more like they're the ones with no sense of humour/fun/adventure. Too sad! How do you survive it, Kat? Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
Depends on the house.
In my house, there is no way anyone could be up making anything in the kitchen without waking up the rest of the house.
But if you think you could do it quietly enough, I would vote for you baking something. There is something wonderful to waking up to the smell of something delicious baking.....
FG
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
quid, it's not bad at all. They are just 60 years old. That's why I'm trying to think of something else.
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
Kat. . . I hear ya. I guess I'm a little too much into . . . doing fun, odd, weird things. But luckily, when I spent Christmas with my (favorite) aunt and uncle, I had free reign to do whatever I wanted. My aunt was more than a little like me. Sure made my life easier.
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
I can't choose how my parents should be anymore than they can choose how I am. ---
Do you have any ideas, though? The snow is looking less likely, which is a bummer. I'll have to go and get spraypaint today, I think.
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
My ideas definitely revolve around baking up a storm. What can I say? That sounds like fun to me. Posted by dkw (Member # 3264) on :
Paintbrush cookies.
Make regular rolled sugar cookie dough and then make paints from an egg yolk, a few drops of food color, and just enough water to make it a good consistency for painting. Roll out the cookies, cut into interesting shapes, and paint before baking. The egg yolk colors make a glossy stained-glass effect, and depending on how elaborate you want to get they can keep you occupied for hours.
Go outside with a sled and make offerings to the snow demons Posted by dread pirate romany (Member # 6869) on :
If I had four hours to myself, I'd read and eat chocolate.
Posted by Kama (Member # 3022) on :
Your internal clock is weird. You need to fix it.
Posted by Lisha-princess (Member # 6966) on :
quote: Or, cinnamon rolls, only break up some sweetned chocolate and mix it in with the dough (once it's raised), or perhaps, take that chocolate and melt it in with the cinnnamon/sugar/butter conconction you'll be spreading on the rolls. I've been dying to do that for a while and I could live vicariously through you.
*GASP* HOBBES... do you want to cook THAT for me??? Posted by Joldo (Member # 6991) on :
IM me, SwimCoachJoldo. I'm in the same situation.
Posted by Hobbes (Member # 433) on :
Yes, yes I do. Though I'm going to have to admit that it was the "cook that" section that got my attention, as opposed to the "for me" part...
Hobbes Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
Cinnamon bread is baking, and I'm exploring options for breakfast sausage casserole. No snow, though. I'm now trying to decide between notes on the snow, or a replica of the nativity in snow on the driveway. Posted by Joldo (Member # 6991) on :
Replica of nativity. I wish we had snow.
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
Oooh! Replica of nativity! That's my vote!
Your baking sounds great, too! Can I have some? Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
Breakfast sausage casserole is made and in the fridge. It's light outside, and I'm wondering if there's a nice place I can sit on a pillow, sing carols, and read my scriptures. I'm worried the snow is too dry after three days to make anything, but if that's the case, I'll make a blue and red Santa out of the tempura paint I used to make Steve's Welcome Home banner.
Posted by Sara Sasse (Member # 6804) on :
Merry Christmas, katharina. Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
Merry Christmas. Posted by Rakeesh (Member # 2001) on :
Happy Holidays and a Merry Christmas, Hatrack Posted by Sara Sasse (Member # 6804) on :
![[Razz]](tongue.gif)
If it can't be breakfast, maybe you can bake a dessert for later in the day? Baking can be time-consuming, and plus it will smell nice when everyone wakes up. Or bread! You could bake bread... dunno what you'd do during the rising time, though.
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
![[Evil Laugh]](graemlins/evillaugh.gif)
![[Dont Know]](graemlins/dontknow.gif)
![[Wink]](wink.gif)
![[Frown]](frown.gif)
I'm now trying to decide between notes on the snow, or a replica of the nativity in snow on the driveway. ![[Kiss]](graemlins/kiss.gif)
![[Group Hug]](graemlins/grouphug.gif)
Merry Christmas. ![[Hat]](graemlins/hat.gif)