Christmas is rapidly approaching. When you wake up this time next week, it will be Christmas Day. And, in 24 short hours, it will all be over. Some of us have been preparing for this for months and some are just starting today. Either way, this week will go by so quickly.

This is the week, that despite your best intentions, you have to drop things off your to-do lists. Knitting a hat and gloves for your daughter? It will have to be a January birthday present instead. Baking cookies from scratch to bring to the party? Break and Bake cookies will have to do. Can’t find time to shop for something to wear on Christmas Day? Just borrow something from a friend.

I put my outdoor Christmas lights up the first week of December. This is usually my husband’s job, but he was painting over Thanksgiving weekend when we normally put them up. The Monday after Thanksgiving, he left town for five days. I could have waited for him, but I wanted it done. I never understood why he didn’t just string them all up together and plug in one cord. I carefully started at one end of the garage, went around both doors, around the front door and all the bushes. I plugged them all in with one cord. It lasted three days before I lost a strand. I replaced it and it lasted another four days. I replaced it again with a new box. Again, it went out. I complained to my husband about it and he said you can’t have them all connected like I had it. To prove him wrong, I unplugged the garage lights and guess what? He was right. My plan was to restring the garage lights because I started with the wrong end of the plug and it could not be plugged into another extension cord. That was two weeks ago. It is going to fall off the to-do list. I’ll fix it next year.

This is the week of last minute. We are not hosting Christmas or Christmas Eve, but I am bringing dishes to each house we are going to. I will make them at the last minute because every minute before than is filled up with something else. This weekend is filled with games, practices, cleaning, haircuts, baths for the dogs going to Grandma’s, and shopping for a few more things for the stockings. My Bunco friends were talking last night about still having to shop for Christmas and taking the picture for their Christmas card. This is when you stop at the Gift Card Mall and skip the cards this year. That’s too much stress for one week.

One of my customers has been in the hospital for several weeks. She is supposed to come home on the 24th, but she will be weak and probably sleep through most of Christmas. She didn’t send cards. She didn’t make cookies. She has missed all the holiday parties and has been wearing a hospital gown instead of any cute new clothes. I spoke to her mom, asking about how she was doing. She told me that everything was going as planned. I asked if she would indeed be home for Christmas. Her mom said that she didn’t care if she made it home for Christmas. It was just a day. She wanted her healthy and back with her family. That is the day they would celebrate. Wow! That really puts things in perspective.

Somehow all the things will get done. Take time to enjoy this week. Play a game with your kids. Take a drive with the family and look at Christmas lights together. Skip practice this week. Only clean the rooms your guests will see. Count your blessings. Have a Merry Christmas!