I refuse to decorate before Thanksgiving. I'm a fall girl and I love my fall decorations. I was recently very annoyed that Dunkin Donuts stopped making pumpkin coffee right after Halloween and pushing the mocha mint and gingerbread. I love gingerbread as much as the next girl, but don't tell me that pumpkin's season is over two weeks before Thanksgiving! Let fall be fall!
 |
| Gone too soon...at least from the store I frequent! |
But AFTER Thanksgiving, I'm ready to dive into the Christmas season. I don't let it stress me out. I love the shopping, the decorating, the cards, the wrapping, the socializing. I feel like it COULD stress me out if I stop to think about how much there is to do, but I made the decision a few years ago not to let it.
My season kicks off every year with Black Friday. I'm not sure when I started this tradition, but I think it was our first Christmas in this house. I go out - ALONE - in the wee hours of Friday morning, and shop the deals until mid-morning. Because I'm not trying to get a big screen TV, an iPad, or whatever the big gaming system is, I'm usually removed from the true craziness. I hear about all the insanity and rudeness that happens, but I've never experienced that. At all.
So despite people thinking I'm insane, I go. And I really enjoy myself. I have two young kids, so it's not like I'd be sleeping in. I get ME time, I can be efficient, and I get my DEALS!!! So judge away...I can take it.
Adam seems to think that in a year or two I'll start taking the girls with me. Yeah...that's not happening. I think that would wreck it for everyone. I overheard one woman with a toddler in a cart at Target saying "No, you can't go home. You are out with mommy having FUN!". Hmmm....call me crazy, but I don't think anyone was having fun there.
This year, I left the house at 4:45 (before anyone starts groaning, it turned out that Reagan was up by 5:15 - happy, but up for the day. So I really didn't lose out on any sleep). Before 7:00 I had hit Wal-Mart, Kohl's, Toys R Us, Target, Best Buy, and Carter's. I didn't wait in a single line, I never parked more than 5 spaces away from the stores, I didn't encounter a single rude person, and all the deals I was going for were there. Can't mention all my deals of course, but we did get a few things for us in there! Our coffee maker has been broken, so we were desperate for a new one, Adam replaced the bluetooth headpiece that Madison broke, and I finally got my Shark steam mop!
 |
| I didn't see a SINGLE situation like this. Maybe at midnight...but THAT when I'm sound asleep. |
Now, in the pre-children days, I would come home, unpack my purchases, and laze around for a while. Then I'd start getting out all my Christmas decorations.
But now that isn't really an option. When I got home this year both girls were ready to crawl all over me. Reagan barnacled herself directly to me, and Madison told me over and over how much she missed me. They'd had a great morning with Adam of course, but it's not often they wake up without me, plus the drawback to having kids on a schedule means that a day like Thanksgiving, while great, means a few days of really, really, off kids who wake up early and fight naps. Anyway, it was a gorgeous day, so Adam left to go golfing as soon as I got home, and I took over. Even during naptime there was major cleaning to do. Of course, I did get to break out that new mop, so no complaints.
I'm sure you've all been waiting with breathless anticipation...we ARE doing the Elf on the Shelf this year. I went back and forth on it. But we were gifted an Elf last year, and I think Madison is old enough to get it, so our Elf will be joining our family soon. Originally I thought he (or she, depending on what we name it) would come out right after Thanksgiving. But with an early Thanksgiving this year I decided he could wait until December 1.
Plus I couldn't find him easily. And I didn't have time to look.
AND I was suprised by the arrival of my new camera (which was NOT a Black Friday deal...purely coincidental) and a new toy like that pretty much demanded that I take it out of the box immediately and try it out.
So despite my lofty ambitions, there was no decorating. I need to get creative this year as it is, since I have TWO mobile children who are fascinated by shiny objects, especially those in their reach. Last year Madison was pretty good, but she was old enough to understand when I taught her what not to touch. Reagan is moving MUCH more effectively than I anticipated she would be at this point, and she's crafty. So I'll have to adjust, and that will be an adventure itself.
 |
| I can see the two of them teaming up to wreck havoc like this. |
Only five days left to vote for me on Circle of Moms for the Top 25 Family Blogs. I'm back to number 29 (I flirted with 27 but quickly dropped back down). If you don't mind, head over and vote daily until November 29! I'm more competitive than I seem, and being so close has me itching to squeeze into that Top 25!
