Laugh Lines

Dashing Through the Year…

I picked up our mail yesterday and began to sort the various pieces when I came upon it—an invitation to a Christmas open house. I looked at the front. I looked at my watch. I looked up at the sky. Christmas? Already? I have had seasons creep up on me before, but I don’t think I’ve ever had one sneak up behind me, grab my sides and make me throw my hands up and scream. Yes, this year the holidays are truly a surprise.

Someone once told me, “The grayer your hair gets, the quicker the years go by.” Well, I don’t need to worry. My hair will never be gray as long as Miss Clairol and I keep our agreement.

Still, I do have to pause for a moment and think through the year. Have I really experienced spring, summer, autumn and now (gulp) winter? Yes, my calendar says that I have. Several thousand miles on my car would confirm the fact. I’ve been somewhere with someone doing something for the last 316 days.

Now in the remaining 49 days, I have to accomplish everything that I set out to do when I still had 364 days to plan. Closets sorted? No. Rats. Weight loss? Some, but not all. Great American novel written? No, but I didn’t expect that one to happen anyway. The rest of the list has varying degrees of success and failure.

Somewhere my List o’Goals was replaced with List o’Have-to-Dos-Whether-I-Want-to-Or-Not. Still, I had great times with my two teenage daughters. My husband and I celebrated 20 years of marriage, and as I’m typing, my laundry basket isn’t overflowing. Now that’s something!

So I look at the Christmas open house flyer again. Check my calendar and call a friend. “Hey, you want to go with?” She laughs and mutters something about “It’s Christmas already?!” “Oh, yeah,” I say overconfidently, “If you don’t plan ahead for the holidays, they’ll really sneak up on you before you know it.” “I don’t know what I’d do without such an organized friend like you!” she says. Laughing really hard, I silently wonder if it’s too late to open a Christmas Club account at my bank.

Pam and Kathy’s 7 Tips for Successful Holiday Planning

Determine first where you will spend Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Make any reservations you need as soon as possible, before flights and hotels are booked.
Plan your spending budget for dinners, gifts and entertainment, and stick to it.
Have a potluck and invite everyone to pitch in. Recognize that only Martha Stewart is Martha Stewart (and she has an entire staff dedicated to making her events look good).
Consider giving the gift of time or talent this year. Take a friend out for a peppermint mocha and good conversation. Bake extra cookies for a stressed-out neighbor.
The preparations can be just as fun as the event, so take a deep breath and include your family in the process.
Ask God to help you to remain sensitive to those around you who may need an encouraging word or helping hand.