Getting into the holiday spirit!

You know the song, It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.... It starts playing over and over in my head every year when it gets close to the holidays. This year, the holiday spirit has nabbed me a little earlier than usual, assumably because counting down to Claire's expected arrival 10 days prior to Christmas has made Christmas seem that much closer. We already have her Baby's First Christmas outfit hanging in the closet. She'll be the cutest elf in town! I've already been thinking of ordering my yearly ornament from personalizationmall.com and about my yearly donations of toiletries to the Portland Rescue Mission and the Fireman's food/toy drive. I've been frequenting Starbucks for their irresistible peppermint hot chocolates and my heart sinks a little more every time they hand it to me in a non-Christmas cup. I've already watched Christmas with the Kranks and The Family Stone. Soon to be added will be Just Friends, Elf, The Holiday and my all-time favorite Christmas Vacation! Yes, it seems as though I am rushing time a little bit, but I can't help it. In about 6.5 weeks, I'm getting the most precious Christmas gift ever so naturally I want the days to just fly by! Usually, I wait until after Thanksgiving at least but this year, I just feel ready to welcome the cold weather, the bright colors, the music, the baking, the lights, the decorations, the wreaths, the cinnamon toast and cocoa, the snow (hopefully!), the generosity and the true spirit of the season. Unfortunately, I already feel behind on the one big task of the holidays - Christmas shopping! My goal was to have it almost - if not all - done by the end of October. Considering that is next Monday and payday isn't until next Tuesday, I've come to the conclusion that it's time to rethink my goal. So, next weekend it is. I've already made a list and checked it more than twice. Next weekend, I'll be checking things off my list left and right, wrapping up a frenzy and probably sitting in front of Christmas Vacation while I do it. It just seems right. C'mon, Christmas!