6 days 'til Christmas

We are officially in last-minute-Christmas-preparations area. Are you all set, with gifts wrapped, holiday menus planned, visitors and traveling organized? Or are you struggling to get through your last day at the office on Friday and then counting on the last 48 hours to squeeze everything into?

Had you asked me any other year, I would have fallen in the former category. I would have put our Christmas tree up by the end of November. All gifts would have been bought and wrapped. We would have had our traveling before Christmas organized (we generally head South for a week before C-day to warm up a bit), and we would have been waiting for my parents to arrive in time for the holidays. I would have baked cookies, and attended and hosted Christmas parties. I would have known what to wear for most occasions.

This year it wasn't that I lacked organization. I definitely lacked will, because I have really been missing being home in Canada. Weird, uh? It surprises me as well. I have fond memories of any Christmas I spent as a child in Italy. Yet I am not a child anymore. We, as a new family, we have built traditions of our own, and I have been missing ot being able to upkeep them. I have been missing our fake Christmas tree, which we bought while I was still pregnant with my son and we have used every year since. I have been missing the snow and winter activities. I have been missing our friends. 

Then my son came down with pneumonia, so that my organization vanished as well and I became the last-minute person. We made travel plans for this week we are spending at the beach three days before leaving, and up to the night before we were not sure to be able to go so that I packed two hours before getting in the car. I did not buy Christmas gifts in advance. My husband and I squeezed in a visit to the local toy store the morning before leaving for the beach, and we are still looking for presents for each other. We have our travel plans for visiting my husband's family all set -- but once again, my son's health remains a big question mark. Because of all this uncertainty, I have no idea what I'll wear.

How to cope with being last-minute? Stay tuned for my next post.


Photo: Behind the thrills.