"I've Got It Made"

I don't know how this happened; believe me it wasn't exactly intentional!  I usually try to accomplish this every year, but it's never happened before!  I'm not quite sure how to handle it either.   The truth is "I've Got It Made,"  oh yes, indeedy, I do!

I hesitate to actually write it out for all the world to see because that just seems entirely too risky.  I don't like to tempt fate. I figure though, if I just tell it to a few of my closest, good friends here in Blogland, well, maybe it won't cause any unforeseen disasters....but keep it to yourselves, OK?

I am just about finished Christmas shopping!   SHHH, don't say anything!

It is December 13, and that is fully 11 days before Christmas!  Eleven days!  It might have come about because of the early Thanksgiving.  Maybe I got started sooner. Maybe it was because we received 3,723 catalogs from 1,246 different companies.  And ordering on-line is getting easier all the time (Hallelujah!) Or it could be that I didn't have a lot of very specific ideas in mind that necessitated a gazillion trips all about town to find exactly what I wanted.  My shopping was more laid back.  If I saw something, I bought it!  No dilly-dallying, weighing the pros and cons:  Will he like it?  Is  it her style?  Is this too babyish for our big girl??  Is this what she was hinting about??  Much more straightforward this year....see it,  ponder it briefly, like it, buy it!  Done!

Actually, I am not quite done.  I still have two very specific items yet to purchase, but they are easy and will be completed in one last little trip to a certain store.   Bim, Bam, Boom!  It's a wrap!

I even bought a bunch of wrapping stuff.  I probably shouldn't have, we have more wrapping than we could possibly use up in 10 years, seriously!  The problem with all the wrapping stuff that we have is that we keep re-using things like bows, certain kinds of ribbon, and bags.  We also tend to buy the BIG rolls of wrapping paper, because it is so annoying to only get two packages wrapped from each of the "regular" rolls of paper. They only have something like 5 feet of paper on them.  The BIG rolls last for freakin' ever!  Trust me, this is true! I have been using mostly the same four rolls of fun kid paper for M-t-G's presents since she was about 4!  I don't waste a lot of paper when I'm wrapping, so there is still paper on each of those four rolls!  I think it is actually regenerating in the attic over the course of the year.  Must be because of all the heat and dark up in the attic! Things multiply up there, really!  I mean, what else is there to do in a dark, warm room for weeks and weeks?

But I digress....what I am trying to say is that I am sick to death of those wrapping papers, and ribbons, and bows. I wanted something new, something different!  We've had some of those things for soooo long that they have shown up for Christmas in Chicago, Christmas in California, and Christmas in Austin --  multiple times. And we haven't had Christmas in Chicago since 1991!   No more!

So I indulged myself and bought a bunch of new things.  (No, I am not a total spendthrift...I bought things at Big Lots on Sale.  I spent less than $30 and I got enough to cover all of Christmas with a whole new look.  I'm excited to start wrapping it all up.

Of course, I really can't wait too long to get going on the wrapping, because sure as shootin' it will be while I'm wrapping that I will realize that I have completely forgotten someone, or what looked so darling in the store will fall apart as soon as I try to put paper around it! And THEN I will have to make a gazillion trips all about town to find some replacements.  That will undoubtedly occur on December 23!

In the meantime, however, I can say with complete honesty and justifiable pride when it comes to Christmas shopping....I AM almost DONE!  (I hope!)

And it's still ten days (it's after midnight now so it's one less) til Christmas!  Whoo Hoo!!

Of course, I haven't decorated anything yet.....oh dear!