Oh, What Fun

When the boys were young, we used a Countdown to Christmas calendar. It had a pocket for each day that held a strip of paper with an activity that would help us get ready for Christmas. Even though I haven't used that calendar for many years, I still like the concept of spreading out the holiday activities, and try to do one or two things every day to make the season less hectic.

I don't work on Fridays, but the day is still quite structured...the morning and early afternoon are filled with meetings and errands and before I know it, it's time to start dinner.  I enjoy all the projects and tasks, but even so it's great to change things up now and then.  Today I got to do just that thanks to Mother Nature.  Yesterday she delivered a sheet of ice that covered the roads and gave me a snow day, but also kept me housebound.  None of the day's Christmas shopping and tasks got done.  After I moved all those activities to today, along with the other items I'd planned on doing, my schedule was packed!

Before I went to bed last night, I decided that since I had to do all the things anyway, I'd make an event out of it.  This morning I dressed in a Christmas sweatshirt, jeans, and boots.  After breakfast I said goodbye to the cats and grabbed my list and an apple (for a mid-morning snack).  I left the house at 8:15, the same time I'd leave for work.  However, at the end of my street I turned the opposite direction and headed east.  What a beautiful day!  It cold, but the sun was shining.  There was no ice on the roads, and the traffic jams I'd anticipated were a non-issue.

I knew what I needed to do at each stop, so I could move quickly.  Most people I saw were in a festive mood, and I didn't let the few Grinches bother me.  Four hours later, I'd made seven stops (including lunch), and I was shopped out and ready to go home. I wish I could say I'm finished with all I need to do for Christmas, but there's a few things still need to get done.  However, thanks to my wonderful day today, the end is in sight.