Christmas Craziness

Between my Obama post-election glow and a late Thanksgiving this year, I procrastinated Christmas preparations. Now, I'm paying for it. Thankfully, I wasn't in charge of any church parties this year.

AJ's mom was in town last weekend and we made a gingerbread train (wow--what a huge project! How do people do that every year?), decorated the house, went to the mega-display of nativities, and finished rehearsals for MJ's Nutcracker show. Then, on Sunday, we had two dance shows and T's preschool Christmas program.

Since MIL left, I've been working furiously on a photo book for my grandparents composed of photos from the stash we discovered this summer. I worked on that all day yesterday, trying to finish it up, then when MJ got home, we ran over to Target to find a Christmas-photo appropriate baby sweater, after which I wrangled the kids into their outfits and snapped photos of them in front of the tree. Next, it was up to the computer to send my pictures to Costco and to order cards. And finally, over to the church to practice the organ with the choir for Sunday. More on Christmas music in another post. Home by 9:15 to talk on the phone with my parents about the photo book and make corrections there. And then, downstairs to tackle the unfolded laundry. I didn't make it through the socks or MJ's batch.

We still need to get Christmas presents for the kids and other family members and then mail them, finish the Christmas letter and do all the cards, finish the photobook for my sister, work on the other do-it-myself Christmas gifts that are going to be awesome (more on those later when it won't need to be kept secret), and practice Christmas music for church. The kids want to go to the Holidazzle parade and there's the ward Christmas party.

For the most part, though, I'm having a good time peppered with moments of major stress.