The 73 Days of Christmas.....

I've decided to stop collecting Christmas stuff. Wooden wall hangings, knick-knacks, ornaments, trays......you get it.

See, normally I can't help myself. If I see ANYHTHING Christmas related at yard sales or giveaway day...I have to have it. When Dollarama puts out their Christmas stuff in September....I almost pee my pants with glee. I don't even end up putting half the stuff up during the holidays cause it would require me to move things aorund and result in extra clutter...both are not good for my OCD. From now on I'm only going to be collecting these Santas. You know, they are about afoot tall, they come in all different themes..usually somehting folksy. I'm going to stay away form the elaborate flowery, shiny ones. Kinda like that one on thr right up there. I'm not sure abou tthat guy. So yeah....I have 3 now. And I'm going to keep going. The boy is going to love this. (Um, but don't tell him, ok?)

Anyways, I've been on a Christmas kick lately. I know, it's not even Halloween for crying out loud. But somehitng inside me has clicked and I'm in the zone. I called Marmy last night to get her shortbread recipe. She make sthe best shortbread on the planet. I only just foun dou tthat the recipe she uses is actually her husband (Gampy)'s mother's recipe. So my great grandmother's. I like that.

I'm submitting the recipe for a station cookbook this year. I'm probably also going to use it if I participate in the dreaded cookie exchange again. Last year I felt the need to top all my co-workers so instead of something simple, I decided to try out a brand new recipe.......Skor Cheescake Bars. Next to impossible to make, extremely time consuming and EXPENSIVE. Especially when you have to make SIX DOZEN of those little suckers. God. Such a bad idea in retrospect.

I've been making the list of who I need to shop for. And jotting down ideas.

I have the holiday travel planned......The boy's family at our house on Christmas Eve (all 28 of them) and then up bright & early on Christmas Day for the 7 hour drive to my hometown. I might re-think this plan.

Oh, and for some reason I agreed to research and possibly put myself in charge of creating 25 centrepieces for the staff Christmas Party. I have a few good ideas...but why do I do this to myself, you ask? I don't know. I must be trying to make up for something very bad I've done during the months leading up to December 25th. Sigh.