Tomorrow is December 1rst. I don’t really like to do much about Christmas before December arrives. Sure, I send out and request Christmas wish lists for folks that require mail service to give and receive gifts. I start amassing stocking stuffers during my weekly grocery shop. But I refuse to put up decorations. (I do let hubby put outdoor lights up because it is easier in snowless November than in the waist deep snow of December). If the radio starts with the Christmas tunes I turn the station. One of my favorite stations has been playing only Christmas tunes since November 1 (grumble grumble!)
But tomorrow I will start thinking in earnest. I have to pick a day to put up the tree.
This photo is several years old but I still have that shirt. I wear it every time I put up a tree…including at work. I secretly love the Grinch.
It is best to do that before the decorating insanity starts at work. In my old job, I had to help stand 7 trees-one was close to 20 feet tall. I had decorate 3-4. By the time I got to mine I had no desire left! (Damn lights). 
This year, in my new job, it seems I only have to stand 3 and decorate 1. And none of them are over 6 feet. Sweet.
I also have to get my butt in gear for the shopping. We have no children in our clan now so some of the fun has gone out of it. And we have all reached the state of life where we just run out and buy the little things we need and want so there is nothing to put on our lists except big-ticket items that no one person would reasonably buy for another. So we are moving towards the gift card option. This gives the person the option to hoard cards from one store to “save up” for something they want/need or hold onto several different store cards until they think of something they want or need. Shopping will be a snap…just stand in front of a wall of cards and start selecting. 
The Santa in me wants to have at least one or two well thought out gifts that the person may like but not think of buying themselves. But lots of times it is simply walking by something in a store or craft sale and having an item cause me to stop and think of someone. I can tell you this because my brother and sister-in-law don’t read my blog…They have two wiener dogs, Jenny and Leonard. Jenny is brown and Leonard is black. I was walking in the store and I saw these.
And they dance!
Completely useless but funny!
An added joy this year is my older boy will be home for Christmas. He missed the last three. The first year he was in Australia. I found a tree ornament that year of a kangaroo. I cried when I hung it on the tree. The next two years he was in Germany and I cried when I hung the stupid kangaroo on the tree. I also cried (messy, need to leave the room cried) every time I heard “I’ll be home for Christmas” and “Blue Christmas”. Really inconvenient in stores and a bit scary in the car. No crying this year!
Wishing you all Merry Christmas prep!
