Stuff and Panic

Stuff
I've been doing a little bit of Christmas decorating the last few days.  I know, you can never start too early (snort).  But I have a bit of a problem, actually a decent sized problem.  Before I can put up the sparkly seasonal decs., I have to do something with all the stuff that's usually hanging around.  This is some, only some of what I'm up against:

This is the bench in the front hall.  Assorted coats and jackets even though the cupboard is two steps to the left, a case of pop that belongs in the basement, a bag of bags and blanket that belong in my van, a suit waiting to go to the dry cleaners, a backpack, not the one that Lego Boy uses every day for school and a poster board for a school project. 

 

This is the top of the liquor cabinet which sits in the corner of the dining room.  Normally all that's on top is that box which holds the vast array of chargers and cords for devices we don't have any more.  I did say it was the liquor cabinet so why the bottle of Scotch didn't make its way into the cabinet is anyone's guess. 

 





This is the top of the piano.  The gifts bags are not from a recent birthday, well not if you think September is recent.  Worse than that is the pink box which is a gift from a July birthday.  We also have a trumpet mouthpiece (the trumpet case is under the piano), a stack of sheet music (why isn't it on the piano ledge, you know, the thing that is made for sheet music), a cup and saucer filled with fake flowers made by Lego Boy in Beavers (I think the leaders made if for him.  I'm going to try and sneak it out of the house after Christmas) and finally an old Tim Horton's Iced Capp cup which Science Girl filled with little scraps of paper with the names scales written on them to help her practice for her Grade 8 piano exam.  That was in June.

 

So all those things have to be removed before the Christmasy stuff gets put up. And this year I have vowed to actually put them away properly and not just toss them in a box to be dealt with later which of course never happens.

 

Panic

We're now into the 2nd week of December, 16 days until Christmas (so says Lego Boy and if any one would know, it would be an 11 year old kid) and every once and awhile, a wave of anxiety washes over me. 

 

I have next to nothing bought for anyone which isn't unusual at this date but the panic-inducing thing is that I don't have any ideas for anyone and that for me is most of the battle.  If I know what I'm getting folk, then zipping through the stores to buy the stuff is no big deal.  It doesn't help that Himself went and bought himself 2 dress shirts and matching ties just last week.  Seriously.

 

The decorating has been stalled (see above).  There are no cards written.  There is no tree.  There is nothing wrapped which makes sense because not much has been bought.  I wanted to get Science Girl's stuff wrapped before she gets home from university because she is a horrible snoop but she's proving to be the most difficult to shop for.   

 

Ooh, I just had to stop and take a few deep breaths.  

 

 I try and tell myself that it's only the 8th of December and there's lots of time yet. Like some kind of Timey Wimey thing is going to happen and I'll get it all done.  

 

But The Doctor isn't coming to my rescue, is he?