Preparing for Christmas

My husband was not in the least bit surprised when I called to tell him I had bought Evie a Christmas present. I don't think he'd be surprised if he came home tomorrow to find that the Christmas tree had already been put up. Though he would be VERY unhappy. In fact, unhappy is a serious understatement. But he wouldn't be surprised.

It's because I am an absolute NUT for Christmas.

I cannot explain exactly why, but I absolutely love the holiday. And since I've had children, my love has become a bit of an obsession. As spectacular as the holiday is, it is even more magical when you have children.

And now that I have two I feel like I really need to get started with the shopping aspect NOW.

How ridiculous right? I know. I do. But at the same time, financially speaking it will be much easier to spend $20 here or $50 there several times over the course of the next several months instead of spending a couple hundred all at once in December. And as far as time management, spreading out the shopping over several months will make it much easier as well. While I do a lot of shopping online, eliminating that pesky process of finding someone to watch the babies so I can go into a store, I do a lot of research on prices and sales and finding EXACTLY what I want to get.

And a big reason for getting it done early? I want to really SAVOR the holiday season. I know that Christmas isn't about the gifts that they get or anything else with a price tag. But I LOVE to give presents. So giving other people things is a great joy for me. And I do invest some time in figuring out exactly what I want to give everyone. So I want to get that out of the way because I want to make sure I get to spend LOTS and LOTS of time in December with family and friends. Especially my kids. Little Elly will be mobile by then. Maybe even walking. And Evie will be old enough that we can really get her into the Christmas thing. Talk to her about Jesus' birthday and Santa . We can go to Christmas plays, watch Christmas movies, read books and color pictures involving Christmas, bake cookies together and make crafts.

See, I have such high hopes and ambitions for the holiday! Is there any wonder that I'm excited 5 months early?

When I was little Christmas was always a big deal. I have always loved family get-togethers and family traditions and Christmas was kinda the only holiday that we always did the EXACT same thing every year. We always had supper at my grandparents' on Christmas Eve and then (until they passed away) lunch at my great grandparents' on Christmas Day. I loved it! My mom would make sugar cookies during the Christmas season and she always let me do the cookie cutter part and while we baked Christmas tunes would play from the stereo. We always decorated the tree as a family, listening to the same Christmas tapes every year.

And every year we would watch the same Christmas movies over and over between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve. A Christmas Story. Rudolph. Frosty. It's a Wonderful Life. How the Grinch Stole Christmas. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. Oh my gosh. I just love those movies. And of course, you don't watch those movies except for that one month of the year. It'd be weird to drag them out and watch them in February. Or August. No matter how much you like watching them, you don't really want to see them the rest of the year. Maybe because you watch them repeatedly during the holiday season. Who knows. Either way. I relished it the repeats and the all day marathons and the encore presentations.

I have such warm, fuzzy memories from the holidays of my childhood I want my children to have the same. And honestly, no other holiday means as much to me as Christmas. It's really the only one I get into and the only one I love. So of course I get excited about it. And heck, Christmas only comes once a year. This year I get to shop for THREE kids. My two girls and my wonderful nephew. Boy oh boy!