Taming the Holiday Mayhem

I love being organized, always have. This year I hit a new PR (personal record for you non-runners) in holiday organization: Holiday cards ordered and received by November 1st and holiday shopping completed by November 15th. Recounting this story to a friend, it occurred to me, living in the present requires one helluva lot of advanced planning.

This year I aim to spend more time snuggling on the couch with my boys watching cheesy holiday movies and hitting some of our favorite DC-area holiday sites and less time at the Target check-out counter. In order to get this done, I had to tame the holiday madness by:

• Reducing the list: With every cute shot on Facebook, the need to send photos to every person I've ever known is, as they say in the military, OBE (Overcome By Events). Cut the list, write long notes to far flung family members and friends.
• Keeping it to the Kids: Rather than swapping $50 gift cards with adult family members, we're focusing on the kids. They're much more fun to shop for anyway!
• Giving experiences: Instead of adding another Barbie to a friend's girls' collection, we're meeting up for a holiday display at the U.S. Botanical Gardens. Free, much more fun and guaranteed to be remembered by all.