December 4, 2013
Please don't start with the
questions….where have you been? ….you promised to start writing more often…how
did I end up here, I was looking for a recipe….
I'm all out of excuses, so
let's just begin…
I've been bemoaning the
fact, along with everyone else, that we've had one less week between
Thanksgiving and Christmas this year. Less time to decorate, to shop, to get in
shape, to write that children's book.
My dirty little secret is
that it doesn't matter how much time I have to prepare for the holidays. You
will find me scrambling at the last minute whether I start two months or two
weeks before Christmas. Instead of trying to change this behavior, I'm thinking
it's time to embrace it. Why not intentionally do nothing until a week before
Christmas? Many people perform better under pressure. Maybe I'm one of those
people? I can still commiserate with everyone who isn't ready for the holidays
without revealing that I've consolidated my angst into a mere 7 days!
I have a friend who shares
my passion for procrastination. Her Christmas cards began to arrive late a
couple of years ago, at which point she finally just started sending out
New Year's cards. Not everyone can pull this off, nor should they. If everyone
followed suit, we could literally end up celebrating Christmas in July!
I honestly believe that
Christmas has nothing to do with "things"… it's about being thankful,
about spending time with family, about sitting in front of a fire wearing your
Snuggie, glass of wine in hand.
Despite this, when it's
December 23rd and you realize that you forgot to buy the stocking stuffers or
you didn't buy eggs for the traditional breakfast quiche, you know what you are
truly thankful for. Giant Eagle has everything you need and it's open all
night!
Cartoon Courtesy of grtoons
Cartoon Courtesy of grtoons