Are you ready for Christmas yet??

Because I'm starting to feel like if I don't have everything done by the end of the month, we are totally screwed. It's bad enough that Costco had their gift wrap out in AUGUST and is now totally on board with Christmas trees and what not. It's also bad enough that right next to the Halloween aisles in Target are the Christmas aisles. And that Starbucks has had their "Pumpkin Spice Latte" out for at least a month.

But the number one, top ridiculous thing that I've seen yet is the email I got from JC Penney's Portrait studio. They are advertising their new online scheduler where you can sign up for your sessions on their website. This image was actually part of the email. Because, folks, OCTOBER 8th MIGHT be the last possible date for you to complete your holiday portraits. It's just plain crazy. December 21st is well over TWO MONTHS away! It seems that every year the holiday seasons get pushed on us earlier and earlier. Mark my words. When the stores take down their Christmas stuff, they will IMMEDIATELY put up Valentines Day stuff, followed shortly by Easter stuff.

I think the thing that bugs me so much about this is how this just exemplifies how our society has become so short sighted that we can't enjoy the holiday that we are about to have or that we are having. No, we have to focus on what's next. Never enjoying the moment, only thinking about the next thing we have to do. I admit that this totally feeds into my personality of being a planner, in that I have already made my Christmas lists and already started purchasing Christmas gifts. Partly because I like to take my time and find the right gift, partly because I like to spread the expense out over several months and party because EVERY TIME I turn around these days, I'm staring at Christmas bows or Santa's face. It's almost like we're "over" Halloween before we've even gotten to enjoy it! Not to mention that there is a tiny holiday in between called Thanksgiving.

Maybe this is also the maturing mom coming out also. I am trying hard to be in the moment with my kids. Even when I'm carting them about from place to place. I want to really be there with them and experience their world with them at the time. Because I'm never going to get this time back. No matter how hard, how mundane, how tired or how crazy things seem to be now. At some point in my life, I'm going to look back on these days as some of the best of my life. I'm going to miss being the mom to young kids. I'm going to wish they would sit in my lap and call my name incessantly over and over. It goes by all too fast. Why would we wish it to hurry?

So, here's my "crazy planner" pledge to you. Though I may be doing Christmas shopping, I PROMISE I won't wrap anything until Halloween is over. And I will stop and enjoy the little things day by day. Because when Christmas comes, I don't want to be "over" it also.