Already in Over my Head...

I have this itty bitty little problem in my life where I have a tendency to have really high expectations about situations that will never measure up.  This sets me up for a lot of disappointment and then depression.  My goal was not to set myself up to fail this holiday season.  

I am already failing. 

I had deemed that this holiday season was going to be about simplicity.  I would do the traditions I love ( making my own cards, wrapping gifts and making my own gift card envelopes).  I would forget about the pressure to do this or that.  I would loll around enjoying the festive decorations, music, and holiday movies while drinking giant mugs of hot chocolate, eating popcorn and gazing at the brilliantly glistening tree.  

Here it is, December 1st, and I'm already feeling overwhelmed, crazy, panicked and exhausted.    Here are just a few of my "to-dos" before it's all said and done ~

• make gift card envelopes
• make holiday cards
• write holiday letter (done!)
• address holiday letters (done!)
• print letter and coordinating labels
• get a decent picture of kyle, me, Pip and the tree
• put up the tree (usually these three steps of decorating occur on Saturday after Thanksgiving, but since we had horrendous winds, mom and dad couldn't fetch me one in the mountains yet.)
• decorate the tree
• put up the rest of the decorations
• complete my portion of top secret special Christmas gift
• recruit help in finishing top secret special Christmas gift
• wrap gifts
• order photos from Snapfish (done!)
• complete a scrapbook of my darling god daughter for her mama's Christmas gift
• participate in Ali Edward's December Daily.  You may remember when I did her Week in the Life project earlier this year.  
• make fudge
• make maraschino cherry shortbread
• make mint meltaways
• order prints of family photo once taken
• attend nieces ACCC concert this Saturday afternoon
• get bloodwork done for two year follow-up after gastric bypass
• visit surgeon for two year follow-up
• spend Sunday at my sis-in-laws baking aforementioned goodies.  Oh, and drinking some hot buttered rum which I've never had but makes me think of Harry Potter and butterbeer.
• spend the following Sunday with sis-in-law finishing up my shopping list
• spend the following Friday with sis-in-law and niece at the Grizzy Rose
• spend the third Sunday with entire Shook family watching all our favorite holiday movies, drinking cocoa, and eating popcorn.  We're going to have to draw names of shows because we have a ton in the queue (okay, it just took me five minutes to decide how to spell "queue").
• depart with parents on the 22nd for the fantastical Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert in Denver.  
• visit the King Tut exhibit at the Museum of Nature and Science
• spend the 24th at my father-in-laws, playing Tripoley, watching niece chase Pip, enjoying father-in-laws delicious lasagna dinner and then opening gifts from the person who drew our name
• spend the 25th in Wheatland, probably enjoying turkey, exchanging more gifts, and playing board games and cards
• facilitate weekly Depression and Bipolar Support Group; set up alternative location for Dec. 22nd meeting
• Begin re-affiliation paperwork and incorporation paperwork for support group.

And somewhere in there I must find time to sub, exercise, plan better meals and actually relax a little.  

Phew.  Let's hope January is a little more peaceful.  But I love December.  It's a lot of fun.  I just have to keep the stress monsters at bay.  They are chomping at the bit.