It's Beginning to Rush a Lot Like Christmas!

Every year I tell myself that I will not be as disorganized and unprepared as I have been this year. And every year, not only is that NOT true, but the amount of chaotic disorganization that I have in my life grows. It's like bacteria that expands and takes over when you're not looking.

So true to course, this year I'm left scrambling to get everything on my list because the idiot in me put everything off just one more day, until I realized "Holy crap! Christmas is in ONE week!" The sad thing is, Christmas is the same day every year. It doesn't change. It's constant and faithful with it's December 25th arrival. But somehow I think it's gaining days on the calendar. At least, that's what it seems like.

Sure, it says the 25th, but I think it's coming early this year.

The only problem with last minute scrambling is that there are a crap ton of other people also trying to cram in last minute shopping. I think, "Okay, I just need 2 gift cards, some wrapping paper, and hand lotion for Grandma. That's like 25 minutes tops." Until you get to the store and have to park in Timbuktu because the lot is full. Then you get to trudge the half mile to the store, dodge and weave around the other frantic shoppers, and then stand in line half a lifetime to check out. Then the cashier informs you that, not only do the gift cards have to be done separately from your other stuff, but they can't even be combined with each other. One checkout becomes three and you furiously begin apologizing to the sour faced woman in line behind you for taking even longer. You just turned your 25 minute store run into an hour and a half.

The worst part? There are people out there who leave their shopping this late on purpose. (Ninety five percent of these people are husbands, mine included.) I will repeat it for you if you didn't catch that. They wait until the very last minute to do their Christmas shopping. Willingly. Knowingly. Happily. I can't imagine knowing I have 364 days to shop for one special day and then leave it until 3 days before the actual event. (That's the best case scenario since my husband tends to leave it until the 24th.) So you have the people who, like me, planned but need last minute whats-its and the people who waited until T minus 24 hours, all in a mad dash to grab whatever is left. And you thought Black Friday was bad!

So if you see me out this weekend doing another run to the store for butter to make cookies or more tape because "Not Me" is being a klepto, please smile and offer a kind word. I had really good intentions on January 1st, but apparently February was hungry and ate all the months between it and November.