Beginning

Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the holiday season for me. I can't believe I started to hear Christmas songs LAST Thursday! I'm going to get sick of them sooner than I thought. I hope to god the girls don't play Christmas songs at work! I'm going to go batty! Thank you marketers for extending the holiday season; more shopping days = more dinero!

My family is, yet again, going through whatever conflicts that's preventing them from all getting together for Christmas. My cousins and I have already made alternative plans to get together at my parent's house. I love my parents for not giving a shit as to the conflicts that are going on between people. When it comes down to it, family is the most important thing anyone can have in their lives. They will make any effort to be together and will do their most to promote that.

It's going to be weird not being with my family for Thanksgiving. This is the first year I've attempted to do it. I've just been up north so many times this year. I'm very much looking forward to just staying home. I don't think I can handle the holiday traffic right now. I'd drive Joe crazy, even without him in the car! :-)

Holidays just aren't the same anymore. I miss the feeling of being a kid and having that excitement of opening presents. And then you grow up to understand the commercialism of it all. The older my family and I have gotten, the more important it is to be together.

I'm either making presents or shopping online for them this year. I can't take the madness in holiday shopping. It gets worse every year. With the positivity of the economy lately, there's no telling how crazy it will get. Thank goodness for the internet!