Holiday shopping and more

1. Every year I say that I am going to start shopping earlier so that by the week before Christmas I will be done.  I will be relaxed.  Every year I fail at that.  I am not done.  I am not relaxed.  My kids keep adding people that need gifts to my list.  My strategy of Monday shopping locally and Tuesday shopping at the mall fell to pieces.  I hit both places on Monday and then again on Tuesday.  I wandered.  I hate wandering.  I need direction for the holidays.  Today I made a list and stuck to it.  I completed it.  I think I see the end in sight, but now I'm confused and wonder if the end is really a bend in the path.  I have one week.  NO.  Less then one week.  Panic is starting to settle in.
2. I shall wrap each gift as I buy them.  Another promise I make to myself every year.  This year I have done fairly well at sticking to this one.  The problem is now I'm not sure what is under the tree.  Does one child have more gifts to unwrap then the other one?  I tried to keep a list.  I wrapped a present and put it on the list.  But the list is on the computer, and that meant sitting down at my desk, and that led to adding things to the list that weren't yet purchased and therefore not wrapped, and so I created a system of putting purchased, wrapped gifts in bold print to distinguish between those not purchased and not wrapped, and oh, my gosh why aren't these presents wrapped yet?
3. Life doesn't stop just because it is Christmas and I must get holiday stuff accomplished.  No.  Life goes on.  School is still in session which means dealing with my girls.  Soccer is still going on and that means practices and car pools and games.  Darcy and Tom had a Jingle Bell concert that lasted until almost midnight in Tampa.  Connie needed groceries.  The dog is loving the cooler weather and just wants to be outside please dammit.  And guess what?  Make sure Christmas is the best ever this year, mother.
4.  I don't have a Christmas card done.  I didn't do one last year.  I started thinking about doing one at the beginning of the month.  I planned for it, but again that darn life.  Tom wants a family photo which means a photographer.  I want a beach picture because we live in Florida which means going to the beach with the photographer.  The photographer has a life of her own and has a small window of opportunity for picture taking on Saturdays only.  Unfortunately, soccer games happened, a district thespian meet happened, and a holiday party happened.  "Oh, but how about late afternoon on Sunday?" says the photographer.  Really?  Sorry, but Sundays are football days.  Bah humbug!
5.  I want to bake holiday goodies.  I hate baking holiday goodies.  I tried.  I remember doing it with my nanny when I was really young.  I remember figuring out that if I licked my fingers while sprinkling the colored sugar on the cookies the sugar would stick to my fingers.  The only way to remove that sugar was to lick it, thus completing the cycle.  But the nanny caught me and scolded me and suddenly baking and decorating wasn't as fun.  I blame her.  And my laziness.  Baking involves standing and that hurts my back, and it is messy which means standing at the sink and washing dishes and that hurts my back.  But I want Christmas goodies.
6. People will be at my house for the holidays.  I have to clean my house, and schedule time from life and shopping to so.  But the dog needs to go out.  Again and again and again.  So I left the door opened for him to go out on his own.  Then I left the house to pick up kids and grocery shop and forgot the door was open.  Luckily, the guy with the gas can didn't discover that.
7. My credit card is smoking from the use. Yet I don't worry that one of the vendors will hand it to me with a sad look on his/her face and tell me the card has been rejected. BECAUSE PEOPLE...I HAVE MORE WHERE THAT ONE CAME FROM.  If I could just find money the same way all would be good.