Am I Really that Desperate?

I love the show Desperate Housewives, but after last week’s episode I may have to reconsider….

I was all settled in my nice big chair in front of the warm fire, legs propped up on the ottoman and a lap full of Christmas cards. I was so proud of myself. I was staying on track with the 8 Weeks to a Frazzle Free Christmas and according to the plan, I was to be working on Christmas cards. It all made perfect sense to me until the very first scene where Bree and her son were listening to Christmas carols and working on Christmas cards. I have always considered myself a nice normal blend between the Bree and Lynette characters, but Sunday’s episode hit a little too close to home. Have I really become a Bree? Have I really become so desperate for control and fearful of chaos that I will start my Christmas cards before Thanksgiving?

Hmmm, no, I don’t think so. Just like Bree, I prefer to consider this an exercise that “puts me in the mood to spread holiday cheer”. After all, spreading joy and self denial have always been two of my best qualities.

What? No More Black Olives?

I’m not entirely sure when or how it happened, but my 4 year old (soon to be 5) has fully grasped the idea of how great Christmas is and the joys of Santa. For the past week she has been sitting on the couch perusing the multitude of toy catalogs that come to our home every day and carefully turning down the corners of the pages she finds interesting. It just seems like yesterday when all she wanted for Christmas was 5 presents and black olives…

As she continues to build her list, I have bravely continued in my quest for a Frazzle Free Christmas. Here is what I accomplished last week:

• Began writing down specific gift ideas for the people on my list (as you can see from above I had a lot of help)
• Updated my Christmas card list and made sure the addresses were up to date. A time saver I discovered a few years ago was to print out mailing labels using Microsoft Word. I just save the labels and update them every year. Saves a lot of time hand writing them out and making changes.
• Finalized our family traditions and activities. Here is our list:

• Cut down a real Christmas tree. We have been doing this just about every year since my husband and I were married and the kids absolutely love it! I would have been agreeable to giving this up in favor of an artificial or tree off the lot, but was heavily vetoed by everyone (including my husband) on that idea. So once again, we will venture out. We use the National Christmas Tree Association to find a tree farm close to home.
• A visit with Santa. In previous years we had always made reservations for a Breakfast with Santa event at a nearby department store, but last year and this year have decided to forego the expense and just visit Santa at the mall. We learned last year that the best way to avoid the long lines and crowds is to go early and during the week.
• This year we are going to try something new and make reindeer food for the first time. It is basically a combination of oatmeal, sugar, and glitter divided into small bags. You can make as much as you want and give it to friends. On Christmas Eve, you sprinkle it on the lawn for the reindeer. I think my 4 year old will enjoy this.
• We celebrate Advent as a family and will continue to celebrate it this year. My girls love playing the game of Christkindl’s, lighting the Advent wreath, and finding the treasures in the Seek and Find Advent book.
• Last year we began the tradition of family Christmas pajamas. Since I don’t sew, I had Cathy at Isn’t That Clever make some for us. You can also buy them at www.hannaandersson.com. Old Navy also carries a lot of Christmas style pj’s, but you can’t always find them in the exact same styles for adults and kids. The girls loved them and my husband’s only complaint was that they were too girly.
• 

The only thing I didn’t get done was scheduling hair cut appoinments for the girls. I’m trying to decide if having nice neat hair for the holidays is worth the effort and aggrevation….