The Holidays Always Remind Me Of How Forgetful I've Become...

After tying my poor brain into knots trying to remember how I rigged up all the outside lighted garlands and wreaths last year, I've had to step away and take a breath. Am I now going to have to leave myself notes so that I can remember how I performed simple tasks the year before? This is just so pathetic. I'm not that old! Really, I'm not!



Yesterday I went to my Butler's Pantry (all the drawers and cabinets have dead bolt locks and are lined in pacific cloth) to get out my sterling and silver plated ornaments and all of the boxes were empty. Huh? Ohhhh, that's right! I had some brainiac idea about them last year. Since I couldn't remember what genius idea that was, I started searching. I finally found them in another locked drawer, in plastic freezer bags with 3M protective strips. Apparently, last year I decided they were better off in baggies. I wish I'd remembered to remind myself. Or. Leave. A. Note. For. Myself.



There is also another box (God knows where) that contains my most favorite ornaments, many of which were my in-laws' vintage ornaments, among others. Evidently, I decided I needed to put them someplace so safe no one would ever find them. Not even me. I've searched everywhere and am tired of searching (it's been 3 weeks since I started looking). I give up, which means I should find them sometime around Christmas, or after. Or maybe never.



It's certainly not fun watching myself lose my mind. In fact, it's rather painful. Yes, this is when a sense of humor really helps.



However, I am finally, at long last, mostly ready for Christmas. Today the housekeeper came, so I made good use of her being here. This year, she is having to work hard for the amount I pay her per week, not to mention that Christmas bonus. Still, I worked way harder than she did, I assure you. Well, maybe. We might have been more neck 'n neck, really.



Today, I've been at it since 7:00 AM and I've managed to make some serious progress. The outside lighted garlands are up, as are the front door wreath and the lighted wreath on the dining room window. (No, it still isn't lighting up because I hung the garlands backwards & don't want to take them down and do them right.) I cleaned out a lot of the stacks of *stuff* I've been accumulating everywhere and managed to send the housekeeper home with a huge load of *stuff* I just decided wasn't worth keeping. She was absolutely thrilled. I even managed to find a few stocking stuffers for her kids, leftover(and never used) from days gone by. The tree is finally finished, although lacking some of my favorite ornaments.



The Santa Claus collection and the snow globe collection are done as well. I even went so far as to go ahead and set the table for Christmas Eve dinner, although that might be a bit risky, given our mischievous cat, Trouble. I have no doubts that she'll be up on the table checking everything out and trying to get rubs off the crystal stemware. I'll probably have to put those back in the china cabinet until Christmas Eve.




Unfortunately, I still don't have the canned Chow-Chow or the canned hot sauce wrapped up, bagged with bows, and ready to go. That's a huge part of getting ready for Christmas for me. I also don't have our 80 Christmas cards ready to send out yet, but I'm close. The envelopes are stuffed with the picture/cards and the back flap embossed with our name and return address. I just need to run to Office Depot for mailing labels and then to the post office for Christmas stamps.


I also haven't done any shopping for our big dinner, but it's a bit too soon for that anyway. Besides, I can surely bribe one of the young adult offspring to go for me. Sweet.



I've gotten the kids Shrines rooms freshened up and cleared of my clutter. They always appreciate that. I had all my scrap-booking *stuff* spread out in The Daughter's room (still with no progress... I'm so the expert procrastinator!) as well as Christmas storage boxes. In The Son's room, I had my ironing board, the pile of wrinkled laundry, and a few boxes, which have now magically disappeared (for the holidays, anyway).



And, what am I doing? Uh-Huh. I'm talking to my friends, on my blog. I needed a break and this is it folks. I'm taking my break with you all. Frankly, This is absolutely the best place to unwind and relax...It's beginning to look a lot more like Christmas now.



I think I've at long last come to the conclusion that I should learn to live with less *stuff*. Life could be so simple and I keep complicating things with all this chaotic clutter ....

Christmas Goodies, Snooty Style....

Once I'm finished decorating for Christmas, it's time to move on to gift wrapping and getting the gift bags ready. I have a lot to do because I give it to just about everyone on God's Green Earth. Okay, in our town, anyway. Around 45 bags with 2 jars each, to be exact.

I do 12 bags of jam and Chow-Chow for family, 16 for friends, my 3 favorite postal workers, the lady that sprays our house for bugs, our mail lady, our wonderful housekeeper, the man that mows the yard, the four guys in the golf shop at our club, as well as the bartenders at the club. I've got to keep them happy, right? Oh, then I also give a bag to five of my neighbors, including the alien across the street. I also keep a few extras on hand for when people stop by and shower us us with unexpected gifts. It could happen! I also make gift cards like these to mark the gift bags.


Every year I enjoy making something homemade and can it myself, to be given away as Christmas presents. This year, I made my popular Spiced Peach Jam and my Green Tomato & Habanero Chow-Chow, mostly in pint jars with some half-pints and some quart jars thrown in. ;-) I like to keep gifts simple and limited to something that will be used and/or heartily devoured. I also add a little ornament that can be kept as a memory and be tied onto the wrapping for the goodies.

I shop the sales after Christmas and haunt the dollar stores in search of Christmas bags, tissue paper and ribbon, so I won't have to do it before Christmas. Besides, when you shop the sales and the dollar stores year around, you save a ton of money!

I put a lot of care and love into making my jam, just as I do with making the Kahlua and the Chow-Chow. Sure, it would be infintely easier to go and buy something, but I do this because I guess I feel like I'm sharing a part of me with those that I care about most. If that sounded sappy, then it's true.

It isn't necessary to adorn the gifts with pretty packaging. I do it because I like pretty wrappings. It shows that I've gone the extra mile to make my present look nice. When I should have been cleaning house, doing laundry, or some other mundane task. That's no fun. I'd rather decorate Christmas gift bags. Just remember that, if you ever get to see the inside of my house.

So, this is what my my dining room table looks like right now. It's insanity in progress, but somehow I manage to get all of it done before Christmas.

Did I mention how dirty cluttered my house is? Aaaaaaargh!