Christmas Comes Early For Me

I have a bit of a problem around the Christmas season. The simple fact is that I absolutely love Christmas! I don't love what happens to people during the Christmas season. Every year it was always the same thing...if i ventured out into any store during the month of December I would run into anxiety ridden, stressed out, financially strapped, crazy people!!! I got hit 2 years in a row in a mall parking lot during Christmas season. After that i'd had enough...

I love to decorate my apartment with Christmas Cheer. I love to watch Christmas movies with friends or by myself. I love to buy great gifts for people and see how excited they are when they open them. I love to drive around at night and see all the great houses decorated in lights. I love to decorate my tree while listening to Christmas songs and remember each ornament (because they all have a great story!) I love to walk outside at night when it's snowing. I love to take pictures outside of the snowy landscapes after a snow storm. I love it when I get a snow day from work:)

All these things get lost in all of the crazy commercialism that has infiltrated our country during Christmas!! In order to maintain my sanity and also enjoy all the things about Christmas that I love I choose to go about it in a different (and slightly OCD way)

I used to buy my Christmas cards after Christmas each year when they were 75% off:) This year I went a little different and decided to do photo cards that I could order through Walmart. They were only $0.30 a piece:) I usually have my Christmas cards done, stamped, sealed and addressed by the end of September or early October. That way I can send them out on December 1st so people can enjoy them for the whole month! I shop for people all year round! If I see a great bargin for someone that I buy gifts for I buy it and put it in my "Christmas present basket" for safe keeping. By the fall that basket is pretty full and I have spread out my Christmas spending over several months. I think of things that I would like to have all the time! If a random thought comes to mind I either e-mail myself at work or leave myself a voicemail and record it on my Christmas List that is a saved document. I send it out to my family at the beginning of September incase they want ideas for me but they don't have to use it if they don't want to because I love all my presents! If i'm still needing presents for people I e-mail them (persistently) until I get an idea:) All of the presents are wrapped and labeled by Thanksgiving. I have not used bows in over a decade now as they always fall off in the stacking process (or in transit) and I have found that no one has really noticed anyway:)

My family thinks I am insane and I am the envy of my best friend as well as my grandmother. It may be eccentric however I want to be able to enjoy things in life, like Christmas and I wouldn't be able to if I was stressed out and cash poor about presents and things.

I am a unique individual and don't mind:)