School is over for another year - yay! - and everyone is gearing up for Christmas. We are twelve days out from the big day as I write this, just long enough for me to be worried about whether we'll get everything done in time.I still have presents to buy and wrap, decorations to put up (the tree is done, so that's something) and the house to clean. The 'lived in' look is good, but we don't want our guests tripping over toys and shoes when they walk in the door.
Then there's the lawn to mow, now that we've had a few days of rain and the grass has put on a growth spurt that would put a teenager to shame.
That's all without even considering the food for the day. Everyone contributes, but I still have to organise my part. The great thing about this is that I have help - the Cavegirl loves to create in the kitchen. Not just a mess (although she does that too), but actual food! We just have to do the shopping for the ingredients and she's set to go.
The tricky thing is in organising everything around work commitments. This is a new challenge I'm facing this year. Anyone who has been following my blog knows that being back in the workforce is a fairly new thing for me (I did a little happy dance when I reached the 6 month mark at work a couple of weeks ago!). In previous years, I had so much time to devote to getting Christmas organised and I would usually start well in advance. Putting presents on layby at the shops in October, or ordering gifts online with a month still to go. I would spend weeks 'creating' a personalised calendar on the Big W or Harvey Norman websites for our parents, simply because I had the time to do it. Last year I ordered calendars for four different family members - and each one was different - as well as Christmas cards with a photo of our family on the front to send to everyone.
This year I just haven't had the time. With my work roster, and the Caveman working as well, Christmas really has crept up on us. Neither of us work for companies that close down over the holiday period either, so it is a case of organising things as we get the opportunity. I have no idea what most members of our family would like this Christmas and I haven't even sent all my Christmas cards ... and they're from the shops - no photo this year!
The important thing, as I sit here thinking about all of this, is to appreciate the little things we do have time for. We might not have sat for a family photo, but we are all together. We will have Christmas lunch with extended family on the day and have a fantastic time, as we always do. As with every other year, no matter how well organised it is, or how many presents are under the tree, the most important thing is spending it with the people we love.
That's what will be remembered - and hopefully I'll be forgiven if I have to resort to giving everyone a pair of socks bought the day before!
