This Is a First!

Okay here's a first! Let me preface by telling you that I am THE Queen of Procrastination. If something can be done later...then that's when I do it. (as in why the diet always started tomorrow for so many years...)

So finally - as in the first time EVER - I have accomplished a greater part of my Christmas shopping before the tree is even fully decorated! And get this! The gifts I've bought - are wrapped! (no...I didn't have them gift-wrapped at the stores...I did it myself as soon as I brought each one home!)

Now mind you - I still have a ton of shopping left to do. I buy for 34 people (big family) and for my kids, son in laws, grandson - I buy lots of stuff. (about 10 gifts each.) So that's LOT of shopping! But dang if my tree isn't up (albeit with only the lights on it yet) and is surrounded by wrapped presents!

I feel so very UN-STRESSED! I think perhaps it was due to the fact that last Christmas the stress pretty much did me in. I was teaching elementary school at the time (ART and I saw 632 kids per week) which meant I had 632 opportunities each week to be exposed to whatever viruses happened to be going around at the time. I had pink eye 3 times. I had a cough that started around Thanksgiving and migrated into a myriad of things between then and Christmas. I had several different types of colds. (Yes - there are many types and I was blessed to have them all!) Not to mention my daughter decided to move 2 weeks before Christmas so here was I - the sick momma - helping her move in blizzard like conditions with my puny mini van which took about 6 trips over 3 days.

So being sick - I kept putting of the shopping till I felt better which never happened and I spent several VERY hectic days fighting malls, crowds, snow and a fever - doing what I should have been doing weeks before.

Christmas Eve I pulled myself out of bed and went to my sister's where I lay on the couch all evening. (They made me come - said they didn't are if I spread germs - that I needed to be with my family.) They were all very sorry they said that the following week when everyone got sick.

Anyway - my point is - stress is bad! With a capital B! It runs down the immune system - wreaks havoc on our diet - and takes the joy out of what should be joyful!

So this year I determined to shop early. Put the tree up early. Wrap early. (Usually I wrap everything all at once and it sucks!) I can't vouch for hubby. He can be as bad as I am. Last year he was outside putting the herd of deer we've ammased over the years and the giant candy cane up (we have a 25 foot lit candy cane) on December 23rd.

I want to enjoy the holidays. I want to have time to put some Christmas music on, sit in the big blue comfy chair by the wood stove and sip a glass of wine while I admire the tree. When I do venture out to the malls - I don't want to feel like I'm on a mission to shop till I drop. I want to enjoy the decorations....listen to the piped in music....stop for a leisurely salad if I'm hungry instead of slamming down a fast food combo.

Anyway - Lora's doing the happy dance over here. because it's still November and my tree is up and has presents! Okay....the decorations aren't on it yet but Rome wasn't built in a day!