"I Don't Want to Get Out of Bed..."

Christmas is always a hectic time of year in the Schindler household. There are parties to attend, sweets to make and eat, and visitors to entertain, along with all the ordinary responsibilities of life. I could handle a holiday season of the former without the latter, or the latter without the former, but combining the two is sometimes difficult. It seems everyone wants a piece of my time, and I want to give it to them. I love parties, and I love time with friends. But what is normally a half-year's social engagements are crammed into a six-week period, and through most of the season I feel the truth that Christmas is "the most extroverted time of the year."

That's why I'm so grateful for a Schindler-family tradition we instituted the first year we were married: hibernation day.