It's the Most CHAOTIC Time of the Year!

Was Thanksgiving just last Thursday?  It seems longer ago than that and yet I also wonder did that really happen?  Welcome to the most chaotic time of year!

I don't care who you are or what holiday(s) you do or don't celebrate; this is the time of year when all hell breaks loose.  Even if you say you're ignoring everything and just going to relax; I'm calling you a liar.  You may believe what you said, but you are lying to yourself!  No matter who, no matter where you WILL get caught up in some sort of end of year/holiday crazy.  Guaranteed.

I have a small family and yet I still find myself overwhelmed at the holidays.  I have no idea how those with multiple kids or extended family manage to pull through.  (Eggnog perhaps?  That's out for me, but there is always the opportunity to sweet red wine!)

Let's just go through some of the things that are planned between now and the New Year:

• This and every Friday:  2 hours of conference calls that are job related.  November and December are the busiest time of year for our business.  Although I had last Friday off, I can tell you that I did do some work (from home) to try and keep on top of things.  Then I had a PANIC ATTACK on Sunday when my laptop no longer would turn on.  Panic continued the next morning when it STILL wouldn't when I brought it into the office and placed it in the docking station.  I give thanks for Help Desk staff who managed to provide me with a very scientific solution (it involved a paper clip) and had me up and running mid-morning.  Of course I was then behind by 2 hours, but I am grateful that they were able to do something and so far (keep those fingers crossed) things are going ok.  (Keep those fingers crossed into the new year for me...Is there a laptop prayer?  Perhaps I should write one?)

• This weekend is: Winter on the Homefront:  A Civil War Christmas   My son and I will only be doing Saturday (when it is supposed to rain...I'm hoping it holds off until the late afternoon.)

• December 2:  First Sunday in Advent is my church's Alternative Christmas Mall (see: https://bfthsboringblog.blogspot.com/2018/11/giving-tuesday.html to get an idea of what it's all about) I’ll be manning the Camp Johnsonburg table.  Hanukkah starts tonight.  We may or may not (weather depending) go to the town menorah lighting.

• December 4-6:  Half days for teacher conferences.  I'll be working from home one of those days (and again I am grateful that I have the ability to do so and work for a person who is understanding allows me to do so when I ask).  My son is a great kid, but not a great student, so it's important to me that I get feedback from his teachers.

• December 8:  I'll be volunteering in our church thrift shop (which was recently robbed...don't get me started on that.  I am appalled that it happened, but not surprised.  Finding the spare key would have been relatively easy for an observant thief. And seeing how we seem to have to come to accept that you can be gunned down in a church, synagogue or mosque why should a burglary be notable?).  My son will be volunteering at the Children's Christmas Workshop.  (He used to attend; now he's helping out.)  Later in the day I am hoping a friend from PA will be stopping by.  It's tentative and I am eager to see her, but it also means that I need to keep my afternoon and evening open.

• December 9:  Alternative Christmas Mall (again; if necessary) Meanwhile the kids will be rehearsing for their Christmas Eve service.

• December 10:  I'll be late to work, but hopefully not too late as I have finally gotten an appointment for a physical.  As you may have read (https://www.myveronanj.com/2018/10/12/thank-you-doctor-cirello/) my physician recently retired so I'm testing out a new one.  This may be a challenge for me.

• December 11:  It's a vacation day!  Maybe I'll take advantage and do some cookie baking.  Why a vacation day on a Tuesday?  It's the LEAST busy day for me at the office and I had time that I had to use or lose, so...This could be a day to relax, but I wouldn't bet on it.

• December 14:  Hubby has a Retinologist appointment late in the afternoon.  Which means in addition to a crazy work day (I usually physically leave my office early on Fridays, but work evenings from home due to a reporting schedule), I will be stuck in a traffic loop as I drop him off, go home to work and then pick him up...all during rush hour.  There WILL be screaming in the car.  (Done by me, so if you see a woman losing her cool that evening; just smile and wave.)

• December 15:  Volunteering in the Thrift Shop again while my son helps decorate the Manse next door and MAYBE we help with church decorating later in the day.  Hanging of the greens may be fun, but both my son and I tend to turn into allergic messes.

• December 16:  My favorite harpist will be performing during my church's service.  You can bet that I'll be early and stay a little late to help out.  Robbin is a wonderful lady and Christmas is not complete without her wonderful "Go Tell It On The Mountain."  (She's so good that one year, when I was filling the pulpit, she played it once at the beginning of the service and then again at the end.  Additionally, I attended one of her concerts and it may have been April, but she played it because she knows how much I love it.  In my opinion, it's ALWAYS the season for "Go Tell It On The Mountain" especially when Robbin is playing.)

• December 19:  Last church choir rehearsal before the holiday.  (Did I mention I have rehearsals every Wednesday night?)  Also the night of my company's holiday party...which is in the city.  I'm passing up the ugly sweater. (Do I really want to battle rush hour traffic both ways during the holiday season?  Is my life not crazy enough???)

• December 21:  Last (calendar year) day of school for the boy which is also a half day.  This is also going to be an extra crazy day at work as people plan to go on vacations and I still need to make sure that everything is on track before the year ends.

• December 22:  Rehearse for special musical performance on the 23rd.  Is this the day that I can actually get some holiday baking done?  How about volunteering in the Thrift Shop because you know all the volunteers are going to be inundated.

• December 23:  Special service of music; pretty much an hour of singing.  Will there still be time to bake and clean up the house for the onslaught of Christmas?

• December 24th:  4 PM service for families; 9 PM service of lessons and carols.  I am dreaming of being in bed by 11 with a drink and A Christmas Story on an endless 24 hour loop.

• December 25:  Having a teen means that I can sleep in!  Woot!  But I am hosting Christmas dinner.  It's work, but work that I want to do.  There will be wine and good food.  There will be some presents (mostly for the boy), music and yes, A Christmas Story.

• December 26:  I took the day off!  Don't get too excited...weather permitting I will be driving my son out to his grandparents (my in laws) in PA.  That (combined with traffic) will eat up a hunk of my day.  Will there be any time to clean up from yesterday?

• December 27 - 28:  It will be quiet in the office, but I will be crazy busy as I try to wrap up the year's business reporting.

• December 29:  Thrift Shop?  

• December 30:  Boy returns home; lots of laundry is planned.

• December 31:  Office is closed, but being the last day of the year, you can bet I'll be checking to make sure certain projects have deployed in 2018.

You know, I'm tired having just written all this.  And I've forgotten to include items that I want to squeeze in somewhere like going to the zoo to see the annual light display or visiting a local landmark that will be decked out for the holiday.

The scary thing is, I know that my craziness is MINOR compared to others.  I don't travel a distance.  My son's winter concert isn't until January.  Holiday shopping is something I don't have to do much of.  So I'm not complaining.  Would I give up any of this craziness?  Probably not.  And I bet you have just as much chaos in your life as well.  Would you give it up? I'd bet not, but you tell me!