It's How Many Days Til Christmas?!

Christmas is my favorite holiday,with Thanksgiving coming in a close second. It always invokes a special feeling that I cannot put into properly into words. Family,love,and togetherness do work but doesn't fully encompass what I feel. Call it an inner glow,contentment,memories of Christmas past...it still doesn't quite describe it.

I have a list in my head of what needs to be done:going out back to get greens for decorations,putting up the inside and outside greenery,sending cards,getting the window candles and wreaths up,getting the tree (real trees only-I grew up with a fake tree and vowed to never have one again),decorating the tree,baking my pork pies,making gifts,getting my store bought gifts bought,and wrapping gifts.

I always think I have more time than I do,so imagine my dismay when I looked at the calendar yesterday and realized that I had less than 20 days to get everything done,and that this week we have three VA appointments,and Zach has a dentist appointment.

Gulp!

I usually have my greens by now,so I am woefully behind. I wanted to get them this weekend,but Rick told me he didn't want me in the woods,since this is last weekend of hunting season,and every hunter in the area is going to be out,some of which would shoot at anything that moved. Point well taken. So tomorrow,come hell,high water,or freezing temperatures,I will be cutting down my greens. Today I am going to check my battery operated candles to see if any need replacing. I also need to finally take down my cornstalks and mums from outside (I told you I was woefully behind). Tuesday when I get groceries I am going to buy oranges,and I need to take one day to slice them and dry them so I can hang them on the tree. ( I am going for a bit more primitive approach this year). I am so bad this year,that instead of stringing popcorn,I ordered prestrung popcorn garland that has a coating to make it last beyond one Christmas. I look at it as an investment to make myself feel better. :)

Saturday we are getting the tree,and Sunday is tree decorating day. I always like to have the tree sit in the house for 24 hours to acclimate before I decorate it. We go to a local tree farm each year,and Zach picks it out. I do have to make sure it isn't too big,so sometimes I have to tell him to look for something else. He always gets the perfect one,though!

Is anyone else starting to feel the time crunch?