33 Days And Counting Until Christmas

This week begins my official "getting ready for Christmas" phase. I have a long cedar closet with a funky pitch to the ceiling.  When it is neatly organized it works well, but this past year it has gotten out of control.  It is completely filled with all of my Christmas decorations, plus other seasonal decorating items. ( Translation:  Too Much Stuff!)

Today I will pull it all out and purge whatever I no longer want/need.  A young woman I know has already claimed dibs on whatever I am tossing, which is great.  It keeps me from having to run to the thrift store to donate it and keeps her from having to spend any money.  Win/win!  Since I have no young children I am getting rid of everything "kiddo".  It should work out well for her with her 3 little ones.  I also have a few rolls of  partially used Christmas wrapping paper with juvenile prints.  I hope she wants those also.  You have no idea how happy I am to be doing this.

As soon as I have cleaned everything out, I will begin the process of deciding where things I keep will be placed.  I try and put the various decorations in different rooms/areas each year just to keep everyone on their toes.  Since we will be traveling across the country for Thanksgiving I want to have it all ready so I can blitz the house the day after we return and have everything Christmasy early. ( I will not need to use the dining room before we leave so I might go ahead and set things up in there and just leave the lights off until we return) Of course I might just be over-ambitious.

I am taking a few prepared easily totable foods to our sons.  It will take a little doing because we are flying so things have to pack easily.  I make killer peanut butter fudge which the whole family loves and it is much easier for me to cook it here than to cook there. ( We will be cooking Thanksgiving meal things at his house so I don't need to crowd the kitchen making candies)  I will also be taking praline fudge along with plain old chocolate fudge.  I can leave all that is left over and they can have it throughout the holidays.  I figure as long as I am cooking I might go ahead and make a couple of batches of Christmas cookie dough and stick them in the freezer.

Shopping this year is going to be different.  I will buy some things for our son and his family and for our other sons, but my parents want  and need nothing and neither does my sister.  I love having a lot of presents for them to unwrap so instead of the usual gifts, this year I am buying them mostly consumable items that they don't normally buy.  ( A whole ribeye sliced into steaks for Dad?  Pastas and various speciality  jarred sauces for Mom? Similar items for my sister and b-i-l. )  I think it might work out well for everyone, but whoever thought Publix and Piggly Wiggly would be their primary Christmas gift store?

Happy nearly holiday season.

p.s. If you are like me and have scored a stash of cheap pomegranates check out this video here.  I just tried it and it worked, but I did have a little splatter.  Thankfully I put the bowl in the sink before I tried the wooden spoon method.