Pre-Christmas column (12/20)

Although I’ve beaten the topic of Christmas to death in the past few weeks, it’s time to give it one more swift kick before the big day. I’m actually feeling more in control than I have the past few weeks. Although I will be one of the crazy last minute shoppers out this week, the list is short. I finally got around to ordering and picking up my Christmas cards. The majority got signed, stuffed, sealed, stamped and sent on their way Saturday morning. Another bundle found their way to the big blue box Monday. Now the only cards I have left are the hand-delivered variety. I figure why mail them when I’ll see the recipients this weekend.

The wrapping is also underway. I hit the first few bags last week. After wrapping and slapping on a few bows, I put them under the tree. The idea of having gifts under the tree is to keep Jacob from being able to walk right up to it. The novelty of pulling ornaments from the boughs still has not subsided. After piling up the present barrier, I was sad to find Jacob found something else to pull on. He yanked all the shiny stick-on bows from the presents and scattered them around the living room floor. I did find all the bows and put them in a pile on the TV. The new plan is to stick them on right before they leave our tree to go to the next. They might need the help of some tape though. The stickyness seems to have dried out.

Saturday morning I woke on a mission. After getting bits and pieces of all the toys Jacob’s getting for Christmas, I need to make more space in the house. That means boxes of baby clothes, the exersaucer and high chair will get shoved into the garage. But to do that I need to get rid of the pile of recyclables that’s been accumulating along one wall for a year and a half. Garbage is supposed to be Nate’s job. However, we’re in a dispute over whether recyclables are really garbage or not. In protest, I was letting it pile up. I guess Nate won because I was the one packing all the bottles into the trunk of my car for a short ride to the town hall. Two trips later, I gained about 10 square feet of storage. Since the weekend ran short on me, it’s going to take another kid-free afternoon or a weekend morning to move the unneeded baby gear from house to garage.

As of last night, I have nearly every present wrapped that’s been bought so far. The only three left out are for my secret Santa among my siblings and my secret pal here at the office. Those both require more shopping before the package is complete.

Overall the Christmas season has been bearable. I think our mild weather has had a lot to do with that. Other years shopping trips have been planned around the snowstorms. At the same time, I hope the cold and snow comes sooner rather than later or we’ll have some grumpy ice fishermen and snowmobilers come January.

From my family to yours, have a very Merry Christmas!