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Gosh, I remember when I had things done by September (years ago, when I wasn’t also working full-time; and many gifts were hand-made, over the summer; and WRAPPED - not slipped into gift-bags :-).

(I still pride myself on wrapping....)

Also, strategic planning, keeping lists of people’s interests and desires, and staying on top of sales, budgets, and costs is also an important female duty, when it comes to Christmas. As you mention, buying stuff throughout the year is crucial; and buying all the cards, wrapping paper, ribbon, etc. for the next year, when they’re on sale right after Christmas, helps a lot. (I haven’t paid full-price for any decorations, wrappings, cards, in decades.)

Women enjoy this complex balancing act; I think it stems from our ‘hunter-gatherer’ background. While the men were out being brawny and running down the meat, the ladies were looking for nuts, fruits, and anything else that could supplement the diet and the comfort of the Family. (This is the real root of the female love of shopping. We’ve just carried ‘gathering’ into a modern context; and we’re DAMN serious about it - it’s in our genes.)

(I’m tired. Is there any egg nog in that Irish Pub where we celebrate this thing?)

-JT

When the children were young, I shopped year round for their toys, I am a bit of a toy lover and handmade and interesting were the watchwords. All bought by September.

Thanksgiving afternoon was the kickoff for Christmas. Out came the box of Christmas books and all the Christmas CDs. That weekend was the tree lighting and building of the advent wreath. The countdown and religious advent calendar went up the first day of December and the doors were opened each day.

The Advent candles were lit the first Sunday in Advent along with prayers. Each day we did something special for the Advent season, including reading favorite books, putting up the crèche, with Mary and Joseph traveling to it and the shepherds and wise men behind them. The Babe didn’t make it til Christmas eve.

Usually the second weekend of Advent is when we went to the tree farm and cut down a nice 10 footer full tree for we placed ornaments not only on the outside branches but had special ornaments that sat on the inside of the tree and lit them so they could be seen. 6 to eight light strings were almost enough. We would start singing carols along with the music, and we would start the great cookie bake. A visit to Santa during the week, and we always picked a nice quiet mall at 10 am. Lots of Santa time.

Gifts for neighbors and relatives were made and dispatched. Sometime an early Christmas Eve Carol service at our church, sometime the town had Santa handing out gifts we provided as he drove by. Christmas eve was special Christmas cookies, tea and a reading of St Luke’s as well as another special reading. Then baths and to bed.

Of course the cookies, milk and carrots were set out for Santa, and were eaten which made little hearts very merry.

The stockings and gifts were set out, the video camera was placed on its stand, the morning Christmas music loaded into the CD player and all to bed.

No one was allowed to be out of bed before six and then all came to our room. We prayed a Christmas prayer, then trooped downstairs where Dad had already started the video, turned on the tree lights and started the coffee. The squeals were worth it.

After stockings and gifts were opened, coffee cake was available. The main meal, unlike the Thanksgiving Cookfest was planned to keep Mom out of the kitchen. Pesto pasta, a tomato and avocado salad, and birthday cake for Jesus and ice cream. The food was either Red and Green. The Christ candle was lit on the Advent wreath during that meal. The rest of the day was playing with toys, listening to music, entertaining guests, calling family to wish the best of the season. All the wrapping paper was burned in the woodstove.

Life was good.