It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like....Christmas?

I love, love, LOVE organization! Now that I have 16 kids....what? I don't have 16 kids? Well, it feels like I do. Anyway, now that I have 4 kids (that can sometimes be 4 times as much work and feel like 16!), I'm an even bigger fan of organization. I love my lists, I adore planning, and my budget is my best friend. It's the only thing that keeps me sane with the chaos of juggling family, work, and home. Well, that and my 2 year pocket planner. (And to be fair, not even those three things are keeping me that sane. It's a very fine line.)

So it's a no brainer that I apply this love of organization to my other love....Christmas! Santa's not the only one making a list and checking it twice. Nope, I'm all about the lists baby! I love to plan out who I need to buy for, write down potential gift ideas, shop for bargains over the year and have all my shopping done by November so that I can actually slow down and enjoy the holidays for once. Plus, it takes the sting out of the pocketbook by spreading out the expenses over the course of 12 months instead of the 6 week frenzy all those non-organized people endure between November and December.

Well, that's the theory at least.

In reality, I cannot get my family to cooperate with me. I usually don't ask them for ideas until the calender flips to November. (I'd love to ask them in January but apparently that's "too soon to think about Christmas".) You'd think I'm asking them which organ they're willing to part with. Most of the time I get "I don't know".

What?
How is this possible?

If you ask me, at any given moment in time, I can tell you a minimum of three things that I want. (Four if you count a single, silent hour to myself.) Granted, I usually don't buy myself anything because I'm too busy being the National Bank of Mom and that could be why I have a huge stockpile of wants and/or needs. Or maybe I'm a tad too gullible with those commercials that show me all the cool things my life lacks. Or perhaps I'm not in touch with my inner chakras and haven't fully realized that earthly possessions don't make the inner eye happy. (Or something like that.) Um, nope, I'm pretty sure even my chakras wanted that kindle gift card. After all, those e-books don't buy themselves, am I right? It's not very often you ask yourself why your family can't be more materialistic.

But seriously, why can't my family be a little more materialistic? Is that too much to ask? Give me a Christmas list in July dammit. Just one teensy gift idea. Otherwise you might end up with a fruitcake. (On the upside, I hear they make lovely door stops.)

Uh, yeah, looks delicious.