Every year, I stockpile gifts.  As sales come and go, as clearance racks (my addiction) dangle the perfect item for (insert name of relative here) I snatch up goodies and stash them in either (A) The hall closet, or (B) An undisclosed location in the pantry room of the basement (otherwise known as the pit of dispair).

My Farmer and I spent the entire weekend (I’m not kidding you – we were up past 11pm both nights, stopping only for meals and Mass) doing paperwork.  So my usual housework and weekend catch-up did not happen.  I didn’t file the school papers from last week or switch my binder out for the next, I didn’t get the laundry done or the hot-spots cleaned.  The floors are as dirty as they were on Friday.  But I wasn’t worried, because we are taking this week off of school, spending part of the holiday with my folks and part of it here with My Farmer’s family.  I could use the extra couple of days to tidy up the house, catch up on laundry, pack, etc.

In the midst of all this, I walked downstairs to find a few gift items I want to deliver to my family.  While down there, I took a quick inventory, knowing that I didn’t need much to be “GO” for Christmas.

Um.

After coming back upstairs and placing a beer in my shaking hand, I would like to announce that I have handed myself a major fail in the gift-ahead department.  I have tons of gifts for two people.  That leaves a few more people that I need to shop for.  OH, and those two people better not mind receiving dusty, years-old gifts because it’s going to take many holidays to empty their stash.  It’s simple to look at my gift hoard and see who is easy to buy for – because of course it’s the people who are impossible to find a gift for that I’m coming up empty on.  (You know, the poor people who get a mug or a shirt every. single. year.)

So, look out mug and shirt stores – I’m giving up one of my days this week to check out your clearance racks.  SHEESH I will probably have to pay *regular price* for some items! GAH!

Every year I plan on having an ‘even more special’ Christmas, with decorations up earlier, and the children MAKING all the tree ornaments out of oranges and salt dough and popcorn, and me presenting everyone with one-of-a-kind gifts I made myself…and every year I’m SO SURPRISED when Thanksgiving hits.

But I love this season so much.  And even though I’m shocked each year when I realize how little time I have left for preparation, I let go of my ideas for the holiday I envisioned and enjoy the holiday that is.  After all, it’s not about any of those things, really.  It’s about love.

And that, I have aplenty in my life.

That, and beer.