Christmas Already?

Yesterday being payday, I took my usual afternoon off for the traditional "lunch at Spur" and mall-walk with my son.

I can't believe Christmas has taken over the mall already! Wherever you look it's lights and evergreen plastic stuff and artificial snow - do we REALLY need that for a Christmas that is more likely to involve a day at the beach and the coolest cold food we can manage? The charities are selling their Christmas cards, the shops are gearing up for their most profitable season.

And me, well I've decided that if they want to offer me Christmas stuff now already, then I will surely get all my Christmas shopping done this month! I don't want the hassle of a VERY long wait between December's pay (16th December) and January's (usually early February after the finance guys finally get everything processed), running out of things in the cupboards because we've spent it all on others in a frenzy of paper-ripping gift-giving. I want to be able to pay my son's school fees in advance next year, and need cash available for that. And shopping now will help me avoid the Vaalies (our "cousins" from the north who stream coast-wards each year, over-run the malls, roads and beaches, and generally make us want to go inland until they all return home) during the Christmas Shopping Period.

Sure, I may not get discounted bargains, but I will have time and peace and space to seek out good things for my loved ones. Many of them will be receiving home-made stuff (thanks to my business coming together), or goodies from a particular home store (Mr Price).

All I need to do now is clear a storage space, wrap as I collect (to avoid "peekers") in my usual brown paper with fancy ribbons (cheap, but effective), and then relax. I can turn my entire focus to things like veg turkey (yum!) and fruit cake during December, without figuring out shopping lists.

Along with the presents shopping, I'm stocking up on bulk non-perishable grocery stuff - extra-large flour, sugar, canned goods etc. It will help tide us over the lean, mean Christmas season and give me the happy chance to do some mega-baking when I find too much time on my hands.

With the shopping well out of the way, I won't have anything to distract me from why and how I want to celebrate Christmas this year. I can focus on the spiritual stuff more deeply instead of rushing too and fro in a materialistic haze. I can think about the kind of Christmas I want us to have, who we can help and how we can make a difference this year. And then how we can carry on making a difference next year!

Aaah, Christmas. Can't believe it's nearly here, again, already.