Christmas

Tis the season for round-the-clock Christmas! I love this time of year. I love the spirit of goodwill, the thanksgiving, the reason for the season, the extra time and effort made for family and friends, the decorating, the entertaining, and reconnecting. It's warm and fuzzy and it's nice.

As a result, I tend to do Christmas in a big way. I send out more than 100 Christmas cards. I designed and ordered them back in October, but start thinking them up during the summer. I don't do birthday or anniversary cards and this is the only time of year I reconnect with several people, so I figure it's worth it.

I usually plan out my Christmas cookie plan of attack a few months out. After making dozens, I send boxes to relatives living in three other states. I love to bake, plus Dave and I never would eat all of it, so I figure this is worth it too.

I also shop for gifts nearly year-round. It's not a concerted effort, instead it's just a matter of picking up items when they remind me of someone or when they are on sale. I like putting thought into gifts. If you don't, why do it out of obligation? Occasionally, like this year, I embark on a big making-something endeavor. And usually, like this year, I regret it before it's all said and done.

To top things off, I love to wrap presents and spend way too much time making them look pretty. After all as my relatives love to tease me with my excuse, "presentation is everything."

I realized this week that maybe it's time maybe to scale back some of the craziness. I was asleep when Dave came home from work, and I told him something like, "Dave, I don't think I'm going to make as many Christmas Cookies this year. I'm too busy." And then, I went right back to sleep and didn't remember much about it in the morning. Yes, I'm sleep talking about Christmas Cookies. I wonder if Martha Stewart has ever done this.