Christmas is a Week Away!

So Christmas is just one week away. I usually get the shopping and prepping done long before now. I don't like to put things off till the last minute. The day after Thanksgiving, I start thinking about the people I want to buy for. I think about the things they've said over the past year, what they are interested in, things I've observed that they could use. I don't like to just wander around and pick up any old thing. I want to choose just the right thing. I start shopping and try to be finished by the week before Christmas. Then I can wrap and decorate and be prepared. I can bake and enjoy the events that are Christmas.

Something happened this year. I'm not sure what. But something. I kept putting off shopping. Ideas didn't come like they normally do. Other things needed to be done. I even got lazy. But now that Christmas is just one week away, the motivation and the drive are coming. The ideas are coming - some clever, some not so much. The house is getting decorated. I'm getting excited. Stephanie and Jim are coming. That is very exciting. I can't wait to share the holiday with Jim. It'll be the first time. Ella is here. She's young and not really aware of things like gifts and such. But its a beginning. I want to soak up the togetherness and the experience and the enjoyment.

The presents are good and important to me. But I know they're not the main thing. Being together is the main thing. Making memories and thinking about why we're celebrating in the first place are the main things. I want to make time go really slow and enjoy every single second. I want to look in the faces of those I love and feel the love and the admiration. I want to let all of it soak in. I want to let them know how much I love them and hope that they got the message. I want all the hustle and bustle.

Its my favorite time of year. Full and busy and lovely.