Twelve Codes of Christmas: On the Twelfth Day of the Coder's Christmas (F42)

Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells!!!

• F42, Obsessive-compulsive disorder

Happy Holidays!!!

Twelve Codes of Christmas:On the Eleventh Day of the Coder's Christmas (F60.2)

Yep. You guessed it.  Another animal picture.  This is the last one, though.  I think.

Pets are better than TV and in since the news is so depressing lately, I highly suggest turning the tube off and tuning in to the closest animal.  It's even better when you have a camera.

This little picture was captured one Christmas when I was snapping pictures of my Christmas decorations - something I often do to either remember how I decorated or to keep a record of Christmases past since I have a tendency to change decor colors every couple of years.  Yes, I'm one of those.  But I think I've already mentioned my affinity for Christmas decorations.

This is a picture of my sweet kitty, Mandy, pondering pouncing on Ginger, the dog.  Ginger was raised by cats and actually liked cats better than dogs.  So the cats pretty much had the rule of the roost and there wasn't a lot Ginger ever did about it.  But this picture looks a little sinister, so here's our carol and code for this eleventh day of the coder's Christmas:

• Thoughts of Roasting You on an Open Fire (F60.2, Antisocial personality disorder)

Twelve Codes of Christmas: On the Tenth Day of the Coder's Christmas (Y93.G3)

Today is baking day.  I haven't had a lot of time in the last few years to do any holiday baking, but I decided to take a day to get some goodies baked up for "dessert" on Christmas Day.  We'll see how many of these cookies make it all the way until Tuesday.

There will be my mom's famous cut-out cookies, which are now my famous cut-out cookies - the recipe having been stolen by a homemaker friend with a passion for decorating cookies.  The true secret to the cookies is to roll them out using confectioners sugar instead of flour (diabetics beware!). 

There will be molasses cookies from a family gingersnap recipe.  What makes them molasses cookies instead of gingersnaps, is an airtight container and a slice or two of fresh bread.  The cookies absorb the moisture from the bread leaving a super soft and spicy treat. 

There will be Mexican wedding cookies.  But we never called them that growing up - we called them Grandmother Stanton's horseshoe cookies for their shape and the fact that I had never had this cookie anywhere else before.

And there will be oven mitts.  Lots of oven mitts. I've been a baker since I was a little girl - my mom and I used to bake around Christmas time and by the time I was a teenager, the job was all mine.  And even though I am no stranger to cooking or baking and I know my way around a kitchen pretty well, I burn myself at least once or twice a year while taking something out of the oven.  It's so bad, my boyfriend has quipped that he's going to get me welding gloves for Christmas. 

So today I'm going off script and taking a break from the Christmas Carols for the Psychologically Challenged to bring you this occasion-appropriate activity code:

• Y93.G3, Activity, cooking and baking

If you are tackling this same task today, be sure to watch out for those hot ovens!

Twelve Codes of Christmas: On the Ninth Day of the Coder's Christmas (F90.0)

Today is my last work day before Christmas.

I have Christmas baking to do.

I have shopping to do for Christmas dinner.

I can't wait to see family - both those from in town and from out of town.

Don't you love this time of year?

Don't you feel like a little kid again as the clock ticks down to 5:00?

Maybe I'll get off early today.

I wonder if it will snow.

Is that a squirrel sitting in a tree and staring in at me?

How do I get myself to focus on work today?!

Today's carol and code?  Maybe you've already guessed:

• We Wish You... Hey Look!  It's Snowing!! (F90.0, Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, predominantly inattentive type)

Twelve Codes of Christmas: On the Eighth Day of the Coder's Christmas (F40.10)

What is Christmas - or any holiday celebration - like for you?  Is is a small intimate affair or is it a madhouse?  Do you get along with your family, or do you leave the celebration giving thanks for the fact that you didn't choke anyone to death for another year?

I am blessed with a large and happy family.  A very loud and rambunctious group.  Our holiday traditions have undergone some adaptations over the years, but there are a few constants:  there will be lots of food; there will be many goofy white elephant gifts; and there most likely will be a pet or two present.

In case you can't tell, I'm a bit of an animal lover.  And while looking through pictures to match my 12 Days of Codes, I found this gem.  This is Beau, my aunt's cat.  And while I have a cat who is really more like a dog and can be found in the mix during family get togethers (and probably looking for a stationary lap to dominate), Beau has a tendency to do a cursory survey of the situation before retiring elsewhere.

So Beau, this carol and code are for you:

• Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas While I Sit Here and Hyperventilate (F40.10, Social phobia, unspecified)

Twelve Codes of Christmas: On the Seventh Day of the Coder's Christmas (F40.00)

I have decided to start limiting my daily news intake to no more than 30 minutes per day.  This is mainly because the news has been so depressing lately and although I think it's important to be informed, I think there comes a point when you just have to tune out before you decide to never leave your house again. 

I was looking through some old photos recently  and came across this old one of my dog Ginger.  Ginger is no longer with us, but I still have some great pics of her sweet little face.  This one struck me not only because of her expression, but also because of the bows.  No, I didn't put bows in my dog's ears on a regular basis.  I would take her to the groomer before the holidays and she always came back looking frilly and cute - with bows. It was always a test to see how long those bows would last before she shook her head enough or tried to pull them out with her paws.  Taking Ginger to the groomer was an event.  She was okay as long as we got in the car and headed north, because that meant she was on her way to see my parents and her favorite person - Grandpa.  But if we headed west, there were only two options: the vet and the groomer.  She wasn't a fan of either.

So for the seventh day of Christmas, I dug out this picture of my Christmas pup for our daily carol and code:

• I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day but Wouldn't Leave my House (F40.00, Agoraphobia, unspecified).

Incidentally, Ginger was always up for leaving the house on Christmas if food was being carted to the car.  She always expected that once the food was packed up, she would be leashed up and we would join the party at a family member's house!

Twelve Codes of Christmas: On the Sixth Day of Christmas (G30.9, F02.80)

Christmas only a week away and there is something sorely missing from the scene here in Denver... Snow.

If you don't live here, you may have heard that Colorado is getting snow.  But the truth is, we haven't had much snow down in the city.  Although Denver is a mile high, it sits in a valley - lower than surrounding regions and much lower than the mountainous regions with peaks rising to 14,000 feet.  Snow in the mountains is good news for the ski resorts and our low reservoirs.  But in Denver, we've had weather well into the 60s in December.  And here I am still dreaming of a white Christmas.

I am considering trying to conjure one up by watching endless reruns of White Christmas.  Maybe Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney can work some white magic in Colorado in 2012 like they did in the 50s in Pine Tree, Vermont.  Or maybe I should put the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's "Colorado Christmas" on endless repeat on the iPod. 

So in an attempt to help things along a bit and get me one step closer to walking in a winter wonderland this Christmas, on the sixth day of Christmas, here's our carol:

• Walking in a Winter Wonderland Miles from my House in my Slippers and Robe (G30.9, Alzheimer's disease, unspecified and F02.80, Dementia in other diseases classified elsewhere without behavioral disturbances)