When you can't get there from here

Another late night, another new set of plans to arrive at the North Pole our barn-red cottage in Vermont in time for Christmas Eve:

Instead of a Christmas Eve departure landing us in Vermont in the wee hours of Christmas Day, the current plan is for us to depart on Tuesday evening, the 23rd, for Houston, Texas.  After a six-hour sleep in the airport hotel, we fly to Newark, New Jersey, arriving at noon on Christmas Eve. 

From Newark, we planned to pick up a rental car and drive five hours to Vermont -- but there are no one-way rentals available anywhere in the greater New York area.  The Guv offered to return the car to Newark and then train back up to Vermont, but that would wreck a whole day of his vacation -- so no thanks.  There are some one-way rentals from other locations in New England, so the Guv is working on getting one of Santa's elves (also known as grandpa) to drive us from Newark to someplace in Connecticut, where we'll pick up a rental car, stop for some groceries, and get to Vermont in time to put up the tree and some lights so that Santa can find us.

This is so very, very complicated, and the Guv and I have questioned multiple times if it's worth it.  Should we stay home and promise to adopt an outdoor cat instead?  Would the kids like to see Vegas?   Tahoe?  LA? 

But in my heart, I know that, like me, my kids love having a white Christmas in Vermont.  When I see their faces light up as we drive down our long, snowy drive, and when I hear their squeals of delight on the first sledding run of the season, I'll stop questioning whether or not all of this trouble was worth it or not.  We're packed and ready... just one more day to wait!