What I want for Christmas

Jenn Hart for writers gone wild.

Winner of the autographed ARC of NO Limits, Ranae Rose!
Ranae, send your mailing address to me at jlhart79 at gmail dot com and I'll send you your book!

I've started a trend of being greedy this year. Not so much with money or buying stuff for myself but, I'm becoming more greedy with my time. There never seem to be enough hours in the day to do what has to be done what should get done and what I want to do. So the shoulds, like folding the clothes immediately when they come out of the dryer, the floor getting swiffered every day or inviting the relatives over for a meal, falling by the wayside.

In essence my family is walking around wrinkled and a little bit less stressed because I am less stressed, at least in my personal life. I've even had time to be a little bit bored. ;-)

So, in the greedy spirit, I have to say what I want for Christmas more than anything else is a DOOR! Specifically an office door with an office behind it. I have office stuff but it's scattered throughout the house. Desk is covered with kiddie flotsam, mail in the deal with later pile, receipts for personal AND business taxes and just crap that I don't know what to do with but haven't gotten up the wherewithal to pitch yet.

The computer on the desk is majorly jacked up; spyware, adware AND a Trojon horse. Never let it be said that when I set out to snarl something up I give it less than my all. But I still have stuff on there that I need to extract, specifically pictures of my kids from the last decade so it sits there, waiting to explode.

My laptop, when not on my lap sits on my end table which also holds out compressor for my son's nebulizer, remote controls, tissues, pens, my glasses case and whatever hasn't been dumped on my desk but the menfolk think needs to be dumped somewhere where I will eventually deal with it.

And this space which has over the last year since the downfall of the old PC, has become my writing zone of sorts. Problem is, it's in the living room, i.e. the hub of activity in our house. Front door is five feet away. Christmas tree blocking my view of the outside. T.V right in my line of sight and often there's a husband or son wanting to watch it.

I was supposed to have an office. Back in 2006, when we moved to this house I mentally claimed one of the upstairs bedrooms for my office. But in the midst of moving a bed got parked in there and it became the guest room. And then, when we needed to split up the boys who were sharing what is now the playroom, it became my oldest son's room. Best view in the house and he keeps the blinds closed. Breaks my heart.

Sure I have a bedroom, which I share with a husband and a neurotic beagle. I also share the living room, the kitchen and the den/junk storage area with them. How the hell in a 2,400 square foot house do I not have even a closet of space to call my own?

So yeah, I want a fricking door for Christmas, something I can symbolically use to shut out the world, or more realistically, I can use it to shut out some of the noise so I can hold a thought.

How about you? What are you wishing for this holiday season?

See you next year!