The older you get, the less fun holidays seem to become. I guess as a child I had this idea that getting older meant you had more control over the festivities and could really make them your own, but it turns out that the exact opposite is true. The older I get, the less control I have over the holidays. I spend the entire 3 months leading up to the big days preparing everything for everyone, and making sure that my schedule will accommodate all the family obligations. I say goodbye to hundreds of dollars and struggle for months afterwards. I also never ask for any gifts, and certainly never receive any that blow me away. Not this year, though. This year I’m asking for the one thing I really want without guilt, radiant heated floors. All year long, I am freezing cold. It could be the middle of a scorching hot summer when every other soul craves abundant AC, and I will still be covered in goosebumps and shivering. I spend all of my time wrapped in blankets and seeking out warm temperatures, all the while commuting to work and taking care of the entire household despite my cold, numb fingers. I give everything to everyone, including my internal body heat. Our old furnace is on it’s last leg and probably won’t even make it through the winter. At this point, I’m barely surviving with a dozen space heaters spread all over the house. My extremities are stiff with cold and I swear my heart has shrunk 3 times even since the fall chill settled in. But the holidays will be worth it and 2019 will be better. I’m certain that my husband will follow through and purchase brand new radiant heated flooring for the house, if he knows what’s good for him.