Getting Ready for the Holidays--A Paragraph a Day

One thing that I've learned over the years is that it's necessary for me to do things early during the holiday season if I'm going to enjoy the season for all that it's worth.  I have to get gifts early, I have to get them wrapped, and I have to get the gifts and the cards mailed very early.  What I've learned is that it's much nicer to sacrifice some time in early December than it is to be stressed out near Christmas.  It's one of those trade-offs that is more than worth it--I lose a few hours of what could be productive or restful time early in the month, but when Christmas does show up, I'm done with all that I need to do, and I can relax and enjoy sitting around and drinking egg nog and reading A Christmas Carol.  I don't have to worry about gifts or deadlines or stores that are out of what I need.  I don't have to do any last-minute shopping, and I can help others with things that they may need to have done.  Sometimes life becomes easier when we're willing to sacrifice something today to make for a better tomorrow.  One of the times that I've found illustrates this point very well is the Christmas season.  If I'm willing to spend some time early in the month making the lists I need to make and doing what the lists ask me to do, then I can have a holiday that's relaxing and stress-free, and surprisingly enjoyable!  I'm not extremely good at it yet, but I'm working on it--the holiday season gets less and less stressful each year that it comes, because I'm getting better at meeting it on my terms, and taking care of things earlier rather than later.