Okay, two more birthdays have come and gone and they are the last two of the year (at least as far as immediate or nearly immediate family goes). With each person another year older, presents unwrapped and currently occupying the living room, and finally the birthday goodies are almost gone, it’s time for me to start looking toward the holidays.
With a smudge of birthday cake frosting still on my lips, I’m writing my list and starting to plan. Halloween is going to be easy. We already have most of what we need for costumes. A little candy and a few more decorations, and I’m done.
That means I can get a jump-start on Thanksgiving (which is only 43 days away, to put it in perspective). I always think, “Don’t start talking about holidays too early,” but I also don’t want to wait too long… Forty-three days! That will go by so quickly, it will be here before you can say, “Help, I can’t find the turkey-baster!”
There are lots of little things we can do now to get ready. Get all those special family recipes in order. If your gravy boat suffered damage during the last holiday season, don’t wait to try to locate a new one. Begin talking to family and friends to sort out plans.
It’s also a good time to start preparing for out of town guests who may stay in your home. You can begin readying your guest room or maybe you’d like to do a little updating in the guest room or the dining room. This is a great time to knock out some of those home improvement projects you have wanted to tackle, before you get too overwhelmed with holiday planning.
Don’t worry, you can get a lot done in forty-three days (or seventy-six days, if you want to start talking about Christmas!).