It's Christmas!

The holiday season is here! Are you prepared? It seems like it creeps upon you at some point during Halloween and before the pumpkins are even gone it’s here! The time between Halloween and Thanksgiving seems to go especially fast for my family since we have a birthday to celebrate. Once that’s done, it’s Thanksgiving! As my girls get older, it seems like the transition between holidays gets shorter every year.

The day after Thanksgiving, the holiday season really takes off with a rush. There are gifts to buy, cards to get ready and mail, Christmas photos to take, cookies to bake, decorations to put up, and family and friends to visit. I love the holidays, but it seems like a whirlwind that leaves you dazed and confused after it’s over. So what can you do to survive and not lose your mind?

Well, if you are like my best friend, you plan in advance. She shops for presents all year long. She has done this for a long time, and I always say that’s what I’m going to do. I do start out that way. I always purchase holiday decorations during the after-Christmas sales. If you’ve never purchased cards, wrapping paper or bows during the early morning hours of Dec. 26, you haven’t lived! It’s something my mom and I do every year! It’s not the day after Christmas if we haven’t looked for any extra ornaments in Hallmark or purchased new calendars at the calendar store during the aftermath of the holiday. I even pick up a few presents at that time. The rest of the year I do pick up a few things I think people might like. I have even been known to buy things on vacation. But as the year progresses, I totally forget about buying gifts. So the next thing I know the holidays are upon us. Since I don’t like crowds, I still try to finish my shopping before it gets too rushed.

I also love having my family portrait done, so I try to do this at the beginning of November. That way I make sure to get the pictures back in plenty of time to beat the holiday rush. I try to make a few cookies with the girls each weekend and wrap presents as I get them. When things start getting too rushed, I just decide on the most important things that have to get done and let the rest go. After all, being with your family is the most important thing and the kids won’t really care if everything is done perfectly, they just want to be with you and have fun.

So put up your ornaments the day after Thanksgiving and work on your cards and cookies, but don’t forget to have fun with your family. Maybe next year I will buy presents throughout the year and wrap them as I get them and won’t be rushed, but then again, maybe I won’t.