Welcome to a super-special Christmas-time update at breathingfire.com. Apologies and allthat for not updating more often around here. Lately I’ve been super-busy with the semester ending at school, business picking up at work, and spending time with Shannon. When I’m not doing all that, I’m either sleeping, watching the Pistons, or working on websites.

Speaking of the Pistons, it just doesn’t get much better than it is right now, eh?

Anyways, it’s that time of year again. Time for Bing Crosby songs on the radio, christmas lights barely visible under three feet of snow, and holiday shopping taken to the extreme. Despite Shannon’s insistance that Winter is the worst time ever, I still feel like this is the best time of year (or at least a close second to Autumn), and it’s sad that it’s rapidly coming to a close. I just love the whole Christmas season. I love the lights, the gifts, hearing “Merry Christmas” (or Merry and Happy Whatever), and all that squishy mushy stuff. It’s just a good feeling.

And it’s good because it really has to offset how depressed I can get at Christmas time. Mostly because of financial woes. I just don’t make enough to even hardly survive, let alone buy Christmas gifts. My job is showing no promise of a raise anytime in the next 6 months. In fact my pay might go down. School bills and credit card bills are piling up. Not to mention gas. I get paid a decent wage, but it’s definitely not what I need at this point in my life. It’s making me question whether I need to look elsewhere for employment. The people I work for are great, and are good friends, and maybe that’s the reason I might need to get out of this situation because it’s jeopardizing my relationship with them. Anyways, all of this is weighing on my mind this holday season.

And maybe things will get better. i just have peaks and valleys in my life a lot. But I have a great support system. Great friends and family that I can turn to. I can make things sounds pretty bad when they really aren’t. I’m happy most of the time, I have a great girlfriend, I’m warm at night, I can eat, and I have good health. Maybe that’s what Christmas time is about, as well. To reflect back on your life, and to look at what things you have because of the sacrifice of others, and what sacrifices you have made or can make in your own life, and still survive.

But yeah.

So that’s my annual “Thoughts around Christmas time” post. Hopefully you all have a good one. I’ll be enjoying the times with mine and Shannon’s families. Hope to hear from you all sometime. And shoot any inexpensive New Years plans my way.