The holidays...

In the grocery store tonight I passed the rolls I use for Thanksgiving and walked past a cart of Christmas items on sale. I started missing the scents and cooking of the holidays. It went by so quickly this year for some reason, it was summer, Fall flew by and Christmas felt like it was over before it began. I don't know why, but other people said that, also.

What I do like is not worrying about how many presents I need, what would be the main perfect present or what else do I have to get ready for Christmas Day. Now I love it, don't get me wrong, it's my favorite time of year and we always have a wonderful time. But what I absolutely loved tonight was having the extra money, it was so cool going into Target and buying some baking items, just because.

I always buy some things throughout the year and every year say I'm going to be mostly done by Christmas, which I never am. There's always birthdays to do, things to plant,apple and strawberry picking, things like that to take up money. But I'm determined to grab some things thru clearances and coupons this year, like Michaels,Joannes, Toys R Us, the Disney Store, Bath n Body, these places have some good sales in a year, and by gosh and by golly I'm taking advantage of them this year.

I love the internet, I really do, but I think we buy too much online and making it harder on stores, because these old businesses are folding left and right. If you get on mailing lists you can get great coupons and deals in your inbox. I really need to get back into food coupons again, gives me more Christmas money. :D Lists are great, menu planning really helps, bulk is the way to go, I love Costco.

Christmas is the biggest family event of the year,(unless it's a baby or wedding),which makes it the most stressful because it's expensive. I have peace at that time, but stress also when it comes to the gifts. I want more peace through most of it. We bake, listen to Christmas music, the movies, Yankee candles, decorating the house and the beautiful tree. I want to have more of that time, than stressing on how much money do I have this paycheck for presents. I also want to have some afghans made to send to a ministry during Christmas, and some baskets,everytime I watch the Preachers Wife, I want to make up some baskets for people.

So I feel if I had more things already finished and made by Christmas, it wouldn't all pass by so fast, it would be a planning here and there through the year. I'll let you know how that works, because it's easier said than done, but how cool would it be to actually see this work.