THE PARADE I DIDN'T GO TO

After getting stuck in the traffic of another town's Santa Parade yesterday, I totally forget to walk up the street to attend my own town's festivities.  Yup, I miss my own Santa Parade.

I have good excuses.

First of all, I wrap everything I bought yesterday and get it all sorted into piles: to-be-mailed pile, to-be-delivered pile, to-go-under-the-tree pile, to-go-in-the-stockings pile, and the infamous not-quite-sure-why-I-bought-this pile.

Second, I am busy with school work that I put off all weekend.  My entire folder of "important things to get done by Monday morning" sits there until I feel like looking at it today.  Ooops, have to type up some worksheets.  Ooops, have to type up a quiz.  Ooops, left the heavy-duty correcting on my desk - too bad, so sad.

Third, I'm still wearing last night's pajamas and have very little intention of changing until the sun sets and I shower and get into fresh pajamas for tonight.  I put on deodorant this morning, but I don't put on a bra.  I'm home alone, bra-less, in crumpled flannels and a t-shirt.  Say what you will, but we women understand that this is the desired Sunday uniform, and today I am The Sunday Pajama Master.

To be truthful, which I am from time to time, I totally forget about the parade.  My plan for today was to walk along crowded Main Street during the parade and shop in the stores I missed yesterday.  I figured I might watch a float or two go by for old times' sake and remember when the float I helped build (and rode on in the freezing cold until my hands iced into the twelve-foot chicken-wire Frosty we prevented from flying off the trailer in the wind) won first prize. 

It's a good day, even though I miss the parade.  My to-do list for the weekend is more than checked off.  I still have some holiday decorating to do, but so very much has gotten done that I'm almost looking forward to Monday work so I can sit down and regroup for a few minutes.

Of course, there is that giant pile of correcting still waiting for me.  If only I'd thought to bring it home and shred it all to toss as confetti at the parade -- you know, the parade I didn't go to.  There's always next year.