With less than a week left before Thanksgiving, I’m in full preparation mode for the upcoming Christmas season. JG and I are already planning out the scheme for our Christmas lights, how tall the tree will be, and what we’re making for Christmas dinner. One of my favorite parts of the groundwork stage is making lists, because that is really what this time of year is about. I jest, of course, but lists are a huge part of how I get through the holidays; otherwise, I would feel very overwhelmed and not in control, which we simply cannot have. So far, I have running lists/spreadsheets to track the following subjects (yes, a list of lists):
- Items to pack for Thanksgiving
- Gifts to give
- Gifts to receive
- Secret Blogger Santa participants
- People to receive Christmas cards
- Ingredients needed for Christmas dinner
- Desserts to make for Christmas
- Items to pack for Christmas
- People to e-mail about New Year’s Eve
- Food to make for New Year’s Eve
- Policies to follow to take holidays off from work
The stress of showing up, being dressed properly, bringing the right gift or dessert, accounting for everyone, fulfilling family obligations and expectations, and still maintaining a light, fanciful holiday mode weighs heavily on me. Left to my own devices, I would let all of these worries roll around the floorboards of my mind until I was convinced that I had forgotten something or someone. The lists save me from waking up with a start, wondering if I remembered to pick up molasses or buy holiday stamps. They keep me from trying to decipher wee-hour scrawls on the notebook I keep on my nightstand. They mark off my accomplishments with dark slashes or a clean swipe off of the white board. It feels wrong to admit it, but the lists help me enjoy the weeks leading up to Christmas because I am confident that everything is where it ought to be.
All of this functional, preserve-my-sanity talk is only partially a cover for my deep-seated belief that lists are totally fun. They can be color-coded, categorized, alphabetized, and prioritized! What is not to love?
8 comments
I love lists, too! They are so helpful and fun and good at letting you see exactly what you have and have not finished. Thank goodness for lists.
Amen, sister!
I have a Thanksgiving Excel spreadsheet. I am with you!
I would totally have a spreadsheet if I were responsible for cooking/hosting. Thankfully, I am just a guest!
You are well aware that I embrace spreadsheets!
I am feeling a bit less anxious this year as my parents (and sister, of course) will be in Africa over the holidays. I could easily do all my “Christmas” shopping well after New Year’s! I’m still trying to get in the spirit and get most of the shopping done with the holiday spirit.
Ooh, it would be very tempting to take advantage of post-Christmas sales! At least AS needs presents, right?
At our house, my husband calls me the keeper of the spreadsheets and himself the keeper of the lists. I agree with you SO much it almost sounds like I could have written this post. My husband always says I should relax more and I always tell him that the way to relaxation is adequate planning. In other words, lists! I really do enjoy myself more when I know all the details are in a spreadsheet or list somewhere not only because it frees me from the fear of forgetting, but also because it gives me such an illusion of CONTROL!!!
What’s this about an illusion? I AM IN CONTROL, DARN IT.
I love planning, I love lists, I love schedules! And what better way to track them than through color-coded Excel spreadsheets!
Color-coded alphabetizing really is the pinnacle of pretty planning, at least for me.
I am a list queen too - at the moment, it’s things to get around to before I leave!
That’s an important list, too! At least if you forget something, you can pick it up when you get there, right?
gah! I am already feeling behind!
I had a bad case of giver’s block, but I did some good brainstorming (bulleted list-style) and I can breathe a little more easily now. Good luck!
Lists are my life…I feel your need for them! They make it all so much easier to handle and accomplish!
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