Wednesday, December 20, 2000
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Wednesday, December 20, 2000 |
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truly ready for Christmas By PAT NEWMAN If one more person asks me if I'm ready for Christmas, I'm going to smack them. This is fair warning to all you early birds that have had your presents purchased and wrapped by Labor Day, cards signed, addressed and stamped by Halloween, and the cookies baked and frozen before Thanksgiving don't give me that smug look and ask THAT question. It's pretty obvious to anyone who really knows me that I'm never prepared for the holidays until after they're over. This year I'm actually ahead of schedule. The hay bails and pumpkins got trashed a week ago and my house is now sporting icicle lights. The tree is a work in progress. I've purchased several gifts and even plan to Fed Ex the play Nativity set to my godchild in Oregon before March. Buying a Christmas-related gift really necessitates timely mailing. This is a tremendous improvement over last year's June delivery of presents. But I have a sneaky feeling that my good intentions for sending cards this year may go the way of past holidays. For the past four years, I have purchased the cards and stamps, only to miss the Christmas deadline. I now have eight boxes of Hallmark cards in the closet. Fortunately, my kids still have tremendous faith in me. Every day, they recite their lists of wants, magnetize a copy to the fridge and pray nightly to Our Lady of Perpetual Help that she will see their mommy through the perilous parking lot at Fayette Pavilion. Somehow, everything always comes together around 3 a.m. Christmas morning. The gifts get wrapped and placed under the finished tree, Santa's cookies get eaten and I find the baby Jesus to complete the creche. Then it's all over in the blink of an eye. Luckily, all the leftover decorations go on sale the day after Christmas, ready to be snatched up and stored by those of you who will try to beat your own best time and be ready for Holiday 2001 by July 4. Don't be surprised if you get a card from me on Independence Day Christmas in July can be a real treat.
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