The Holidays

I realize we still have Thanksgiving to get through - and while I always love Thanksgiving, I am very motivated this year to get my Christmas shopping done early. My mom and dad are going to be spending the month of December here at a rented beach house so I am feeling the rush to get the shopping done early so I don't have to do it while they are here. I am having a little luck so far and am lucky in that Chuck and I have decided to only do stocking stuffers for each other rather than a big Christmas. His stocking is almost done. I just have to get it out to see how much more - if anything - I need to get it full. Addison is super easy, in fact, we got her half way done over the weekend. And of course, Grandparents are easy too - give them some baby pictures and they are content. I just feel like there are a lot of other people I need to buy for that I am having a hard time with ideas. (Teenage boys? What do you get them?)

And while I am motivated to get my shopping done, I am not as enthused about the holidays this year as I have in years past. In all honesty, I think the HOOOOOOT weather here is throwing me for a loop. It is hard to feel like it is Christmas out when it has only cooled off to the 80's in the last few weeks. Not holiday weather if you ask me!

I keep thinking I should just focus on Thanksgiving first. It is a week from Thursday!!! How is that possible??? A first we thought it would be just the three of us, but our dinner has grown to include one of Chuck's Academy buddies and his family - they are stationed in Pensacola, and possibly a couple in the squadron who will have just had, or be getting ready to have, a baby. While I do not have to worry about the menu - Chuck is the Thanksgiving chef around here - I love to have a beautiful table for the day. And since the house gets so thrashed in the process of the holiday, I would really like to have it clean too so it isn't doubly trashed after dinner.

And of course, our Thanksgiving weekend always includes the decorating for Christmas. So I really, really need to drag/find my bins with the decorations... A big undertaking in itself! Maybe if I can get myself through Thanksgiving and get my house decorated for Christmas, I will be feeling in the holiday mood. Let's hope!