The Christmas Rush

I'm amazed every year how people start thinking about Christmas earlier and earlier (even in September in some stores), yet we seem to never quite be prepared for it, and it causes WAY too much stress than it should. I've always been a last minute shopper. I've only ever gone out once on Xmas eve for a gift, but I usually do push things until the last week. But I've found that it forced me to focus and get things done in several hours, and then it was done. Same thing with getting our decorations up. It was always nice to get a tree 2 weeks before Xmas, and decorate then. The tree stayed nice and fresh through the New Year's celebration, and again, it was "let's do it this weekend, and then it's done".

Now that I'm living in a more upscale community, it seems as though it's almost en vogue to try to outdo everyone else for decorations, and in getting those decorations up as soon as possible. Most of my neighbors had their lights, deer, santas, snowmen, trees, wreaths, more lights, etc. up the day after Thanksgiving. I was feeling too fat to even THINK about that on the day after Turkey day! And my wife wanted to get all the shopping done on Black Friday, as well. That's crazy. I have to commend her, that she did finish all of her planned shopping over that weekend, but the net result of her having a MONTH to think about Christmas = more gifts that were not planned, and not in the budget. Like, it wasn't enough to get her sister a musical vibrator that plays "O Come All Ye Faithful", but now she wants to get her the matching butt plug. And the people in the neighborhood are adding to their decorations on a daily basis, it seems.

I think Xmas works so much better when you have a plan, and you stick to it, and you EXECUTE the shopping/decorating/cookie baking, etc. within 2 weeks of the holiday. It's so crazy to drag out a single day holiday for a full month. Think of it this way: if we drug out the New Year's celebration for a full month, people would be bombed for the whole month of December, and we'd probably miss Christmas entirely.

Moderation in all things, people. Even Christmas.

s42