Ahhhh, fall.  Being out and about, I love the sights and sounds of autumn.  The crunching leaves, the smell of cinnamon and nutmeg, a hearty casserole, the Christmas shopping.

Wait – what?  The Christmas shopping?

No doubt you’ve already seen some Christmas displays up at your local box stores or favorite department stores.  Every year, retailers just can’t seem to get this stuff out fast enough.  They’ve got Halloween decorations out in July, Thanksgiving never gets any love whatsoever, and Christmas decor is all the rage by-mid-October.

So why am I talking about Christmas shopping now, you ask?  Well, if the last two years have taught us anything, it’s that consumers just can’t trust the supply chain anymore.  If there’s a “must have” or popular gift for someone on your list, odds are you should buy it now (if you see it), rather than waiting until late November/early December.  Sure, you may get a better price at a Black Friday sale or some other discount event, but you also run the risk of not getting that special something due to inventory issues or delivery delays.

Being the anal-retentive, OCD guy that I am, I keep a spreadsheet of potential Christmas gift ideas for members of my family, which I add to throughout the year whenever I hear them mention an item of interest or I see something I think they may enjoy.  Then, come October 1^st, I sit down and hit up the online shopping sites and start pointing and clicking, taking care of most of my holiday shopping needs for the Christmas season before the leaves have even finished changing color and fallen from the trees.  I always look for free shipping, and most of these sites have such a liberal return policy, I don’t worry about sizing or other issues that may deter such early purchase and delivery.

Over the past week, I’ve been getting package after package delivered, which I am dutifully stacking up in my home office, waiting to be wrapped.  I’d say I’m about 75% of the way completed with my holiday shopping for 2022, and I also have the cost of these items listed in my spreadsheet, so I know where I’m at regarding my holiday budget (which I fund through that antiquated but useful banking option, the “Christmas Club” savings account).  Knowing me, I’ll probably also have all of these gifts wrapped before the 1^st of December, which protects them from prying eyes and curious searches of my office space.

My wife is even getting in on the “get it done early” spirit this year.  She diligently hand-makes all of our Christmas cards every year, and my “early bird” ways are starting to rub off on her.  I’d say she has this year’s batch almost completed (over one hundred cards), working slowly and steadily on them throughout the late summer months and into early fall.  She’ll be simply slapping a stamp on these bad boys and dropping them off with the US Postal Service after Thanksgiving, freeing up her holiday season to concentrate on and enjoy other Christmas-y pursuits.

I can hear you already. 

“That takes all of the holiday fun out of it”.

“I’m not even thinking about Christmas until AFTER Thanksgiving”.

“I don’t have that kind of time”.

“Jayzus, you’re odd.”

Whatever the reason – you do you.  Make fun of me all you want, but I’ll tell you a little secret.  While you are running around and completely stressed out during that 2^nd week of December, driving to every store and checking every website for that sold-out gift, losing your mind trying to get all of your all of your holiday shopping done (and wrapped) before the big day, I’ll be curled up on my couch, watching holiday movies, listening to Nat King Cole and sipping a glass of wine, or leisurely enjoying the holiday happenings around the community.  I’ll be looking at Christmas trees, holiday lights, and taking in seasonal concerts, all while knowing that all my holiday “chores” are done.

Then, once Christmas dinner is over and I’m lying in overstuffed (yet blissful) agony on the couch, I’ll start thinking about Christmas 2023.

Happy holidays!