Hey all! It's Tuesday night and time for the DIDS, short for "Damn, I Did Something." It's a chance for all of us to offer up the cool and awesome things we have DONE in the past week.
My DIDS for the week? On Sunday afternoon I mailed our Christmas cards. Not only did I mail them on December 2nd, but I actually had them addressed the weekend before. This small action leads into my larger accomplishment: actually being prepared for the Holidays!
Last year I fell woefully behind in all Christmas preparations. Mid-December of 2006 I found myself in a grumpy, non-holiday mood: I hadn't even thought about getting cards in the mail, I'd barely done any shopping, and we'd had a serious round of family illnesses with all of us missing at least a few days of school and work. I couldn't work up the motivation or energy to get stuff done. I did eventually put up some decorations, and the shopping got done, but cards never went out. We enjoyed Christmas, but the run up to the holiday was pretty blah.
This year, somehow, someway, I'm on top of preparations. We actually started the Advent Calendar ON TIME this weekend (unlike last year where we started two weeks into Advent and found ourselves playing catch-up). There's a wreath on the door. The nativity scene is out. A few decorations are up on the mantle. Most of the presents have been purchased (and a few even wrapped), and I didn't go crazy with the spending--made a list, stuck to it, and was done. Only big present I haven't taken care of--CSK. Not sure what to get for him yet :)
Why is this DIDS so valuable to me? Because this year I feel like I'll be able to truly savor each part of the holidays without rush or stress. Next weekend we'll get the tree up. The weekend after that we can bake cookies and I can introduce the Pods to the fine art of icing and sprinkles. Each day we'll hang up another ornament on the Advent calendar and hear another little bit of the Christmas story. We'll be able to enjoy this month of special family activities without being in a frenzy.
Now...if I could just think of something to get for CSK!