A Fistful of Oranges

And other ways I'm starting the holidays

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On Monday, I woke up early to start working. Or rather, I never went to sleep. You see, I get all my best ideas at 2 AM and have to put pen to paper right then and there, lest I forget. Which also means staying up late writing them down while rewatching House of the Dragon.

Pausing a postpartum Rhaenyra giving the Red Keep its name, I made a cup of coffee and grabbed two fistfuls of mandarins to hole up in my room.

Right about now you’re probably thinking, “but mandarins aren’t oranges, are they?” To which I must tell you I don’t know anything about oranges. I’m not oranges’ keeper. I’m just a sleep deprived woman, trying to finish her reports before the holidays.

(And fight scurvy I guess. Writer and artist harrythegirl seems to worry about it a lot. Is that something I should be worried about? Anxious minds want to know.)

I’ve been especially tired this week though. Partly because I’m also a chronically fatigued woman, always a simple task away from a nap, and the holidays, or at least getting ready for them, are exhausting.

I know this because it’s the same every year. And yet a few days before Christmas, my clean laundry begins to pile up. I need to fold it but my extra comforters still need to be washed. But before I can do that, the clothes I left in the dryer have to be taken out.

And so the pile grows!

And that’s just laundry. Don’t even get me started on the dog hair sweeping, vacuuming, and mopping while my meatless ground (ground meat for the meatless eater) browns on the stove.

So instead of doing any of that, I nudge my dog Ernie out of the warm spot I left behind and turn House of the Dragon back on. I peel and eat my oranges. Just for a little while longer.

Because at least I don’t have to get the Red Keep Christmas-ready. Not my circus, not my monkeys as they say.

My reports will get done eventually but most importantly, happy holidays! I hope you have a wonderful time with your families, whether related or chosen, and take a break from the circus that is The Holiday​​s™ when you can.

Until next time,

Jade