Geez, I have approached this holiday season the same way that I have approached all holiday seasons for years now. I have been doing the whole Christmas celebration with cards, and gifts, and decorations, and parties, and dinner, Christmas pagents, and church services, for years now. Sometimes it has been nerve wracking. Sometimes not. I've always managed to get through it without being completely pooped. Pretty pooped. But not tongue hanging out pooped.

This year, I am completely pooped. That's a little frustrating because as the years have gone by I have taken a lot of pride in my older, wiser approach to the holiday madness. I never did quite master the art of getting everything done right after Thanksgiving. Or better yet, the art of shopping for the next Christmas season as soon as the current Christmas holiday is over. I really envy people who pull that off. For decades I swore that I would do that. Never happened. And now, it's not gonna happen. I don't even pretend any more.

So while I never became as organized as all of that, I did develop a pretty nice routine of shopping early in the morning. Avoiding the crowds. Keeping a firm handle on avoiding the holiday spending hangover. Taking only cash. Not overspending. Buying meaningful gifts. Sending out only a handful, if any, cards. Wrapping the gifts while the kids were at school instead of in the middle of the night. I've usually come through all of that feeling pretty good about things. But, this year. Zheez. Even though I didn't do anything differently, it feels like I am tap dancing on a rolling log, headed downstream, straight for a waterfall!

Why is that??? I'm going to blame it on old age. That's a nifty excuse.