Friday PWYC, 2026 is a week away!

[Twins' Mom]

Now the countdown is to the new year and 2026. Let's have an easy day today - PUPA and such, and spend some time thinking about 2026. Goals? What should change and what can be improved upon? What needs to happen to wrap up the year?

[Harriet]

In 2015, LadyM had begun our PWYC of Dec 26th with the title "Boxing Day",

and helia had responded:

I really like boxing day! Typically, my house is fairly clean, and my kitchen is well-stocked with lots of yummy leftovers. I can feel that I'm getting peopled out though.

Yes and yes. It is super nice to have a neatened house that seems to stay that way a little more effortlessly because someone might drop in. And yet, another way of looking at it is that ... .. someone might drop in. lol!

Picking up on Twins' thought of wrapping the year,
A reminder for us today (sorry) might be that often a date for paying certain types of taxes could loom at end/beginning of year.

Dsonil has cropped his choice, from of my norrowed-down-to-3 choices from ddil's auto-captured family photos. That was on my computer this a.m. and after I finished being all sentimental and teary over who-looks-like-whom , I realize I am very pleased. Do I look nice? Well, I look like I tried to look nice, so good for me!! lol! But everyone else is absolutely squeezable. Had an early morning conversation with my late dh - telling him just LOOK at those faces.

[CathyS]

Boxing day is a very old tradition. Rich people gave the servants a day off and sent them home a "box" with leftovers from the previous day's feast. It would have been either a wooden box or a sack of some sort. This is just off the top of my head, I would have to do more research to come up with the proper terms and how long ago this started. I "think" it began in England. I know that Canada has it as a holiday.

Thank you for starting us off this morning Twins' Mom!!

It's really, really cold and extremely windy here today. There is a snow/sleet/freezing rain watch/warning for today. Traditionally it's "Boxing Day Sales" at numerous stores. Furniture stores are doing their best to get their share of the cash from holiday shoppers today. 50% or more off of mattresses, etc. The early shoppers are being teased with scratch and save type sales, like "The first 50 shoppers can scratch and save up to 50% off their purchase of recliners! Today only!" Etc...

I've taken the compost to the road, but the recycling truck has already gone by. No big deal, it can wait another week. Our collection was delayed by one day due to the holiday. Next week will be the same.

I've also done a full load of bed sheets and the second load with the mattress pad is going now.

[Twins' Mom]

Kathryn used to have a Boxing Day party, the date always reminds me of her.

Another evening out is over...done...gone. Toward the end of the night I realized I had misplaced my phone. Not in my purse, not in pockets, not on counters or in living room or dining room. I knew it was in the house because when called, my hearing aids were picking up the ring, which is Bluetooth. Dh lost his temper with me - I was trying to troubleshoot whether is was closer or further away when I asked him to call it. We came on home, and by the time we got here the news was that it was in dfriend V's pocket all that time. She had picked it up thinking it was hers. So it was returned last night by others of our group that live near us.

Dh has had a short temper with me a lot and I feel sad about it.

[CathyS]

When I was a child my dad spent the day taking my sister and I to his brother's apartment on the other side of Toronto. Everything was closed back then.

I have been doing laundry and 2 of the litter boxes are done. Cats have already gone to each box to sniff it.

Dh has had his breakfast. I just need to have mine. I'm having the leftover turkey.

I will be using a "school workbook" with 32 pages to keep track of dh's health info for 2026. I also have a calendar for recording meals. Doctor wants us to pay closer attention to dh's protein and carb intake. I will also keep track of home care. I need to call them today.

(((Twins))) When dh and I moved in together I made it clear that angry outbursts scared me and they were hurtful and made me upset and sometimes I would burst into tears. Every single time he raises his voice or is short-tempered with me has gotten an apology ever since. Could you sit down with your dh and talk about it? Every once in a while I will tell dh that "I don't want you to get mad, but we need to talk about ..." Sometimes I say we need to sit at the table and have a talk. Usually these things happen when I get to the point where I can't take it any more. Sometimes I start by saying "You've been really cranky lately, what's wrong?" Maybe your dh isn't enjoying being retired. Every once in a while dh will say he didn't expect being retired to be "like this" but he can't explain what he means. My dh has become a real hermit. He doesn't see many people and he spends far too much time either on his phone or on his computer. He also naps a lot.

[blessedw2]

good morning!
I hope you all have a wonderful day!

[blessedw2]

d twins I am sorry he had a short temper! Hope you get to talk to him and find out what was going on and he sees how you felt because of it. They see that they get frustrated but don't see the damage it causes.
so glad you got your phone!

d cathy praying your dh opens up to the world again - it's hard when they focus inward - dh has gone through being in his own world when it came to electronics. He says he doesn't even notice when he is in another world - it's just so much he sees on it and it's easy.

d harriet thank you for sharing sweet lady's post and sweet Helia's post!
thank you!
I am not ready to think of taxes though
how wonderful you have a family picture - squeezable and loving family! your late dh, I am sure, is feeling the same thing - look at those beautiful faces!!!

we are tired and feeling a wonderful joy after our christmas!!! I keep thinking that christmas can't get any better and it does! lots of joy!

[Twins' Mom]

I know dh is feeling cranky and bored right now. He can't bowl because he's supposed to be resting his shoulder. He's seen significant improvement by doing the exercises and resting so hoping surgery isn't in the future. Last night it was that I wanted him to keep calling my phone so I could try to troubleshoot where it was. I knew it was in the house because it was in bluetooth range to my hearing aids. He was going out searching the car and driveway instead. And I think he was angry that I had lost/misplaced it, and that wasn't the case at all. (Dfriend had picked it up thinking it was hers.) Apologies from him are rare.

I think he resents that I have other things to do in retirement other than spending time with him. And I get so tired of social engagements and being busy and I get cranky because I just want quiet, alone time. In some ways I think retirement has been harder on me than him.

I'm taking chili out of the freezer for our supper, and I'm going upstairs. He's gone out for a walk.

[CathyS]

More on this in the Husband's Health thread... I had our first interview over the phone just now. I'm so relieved that I'm shaking as I type. We both qualify for help in our home.

What a load off my mind and once it gets started, I will have less to do. I don't know how much less, but some of dh's personal care will be done by other people. I feel stupid for crying about this.

Reminder to self... get up and do the dishes.

[Nancy]

I have to say was talking about a Really Good Box to keep for wrapping gifts was a thing back in the day.
It's hard to get rid of sturdy ones if they can be reused for de- cluttering adventures for examples.

I like to be home more in the winter.

Holiday Learning Curve.
This year gave dson a break from everyone gathering there at Cmas.
Sort of talked it over when he was not there and decided that his s/o was working way to hard on it and doing both
turkey day & Cmas & two jobs... doing both holiday's is just too much for any family in my opinion.
[In Oct. we talked about rotations like divorced famly's do with rotations ordered by
an impartial person like a judge alternating holidays!] Plus that was stressing out the rest of the family, & roads and
travel are not always good in Dec.

Solution this year is...
With early Jan/ bdays w 2 on the same day that was a better option as lots of us were peopled out to plan
a gathering the 1st weekend of Jan.

This was some thing we learned the first year of marriage that both family's expected that we would
have two full turkey dinners on turkey day. Not! Same with friends giving. I can only do so many feasts in
one week. I told the church that, some were miffed other understood.

Cmas was not about food we all ate before when dd & dgd came. dson opted for foot ball / me a movie.

Today I made a home made sausage mc muffin with egg & cheese.