Warning!!!! You may think I am insane after reading this post...or Brilliant

"Christmas is only 128 days away"
Mentioning this in August is like saying you hear voices at a Psychiatrist conference... People will take notice, but not in a good way. But nevertheless, Christmas is only 128 days from today... but really who's counting. ;-)

Christmas is my favorite holiday of the year... The gifts are great, the food is awesome and I love cold weather... But really for me it is all about suspending disbelieve. Christmas (from thanksgiving to C-Day) is generally 30 days, where the entire US population goes insane... and we celebrate it.

Mass insanity... trust me..

• We think it is a good idea to dress in sweaters with appliqué characters.
• Red and green suddenly become a conservative color combination
• We pretend to be nice to people we dislike... even buying gifts for them
• Maxing out the credit card for 10 minutes of Christmas morning joy seems like a good idea.
• Dressing up your cat as a reindeer is not considered cruel. ( my cat actually enjoys this, really)
  
• Making a 5 course dinner from scratch sounds fun
• Singing at work becomes mandatory
• and being a good parent means shoving some old lady out of the way at Walmart, so you can get the last Whatever Elmo doll...
  

I LOVE IT!!!!!

So why am I thinking of it in August.... Well last year we made cards and a few select gifts. This year. I want to make cards and cookies and what gifts I do give ( I am cutting down-like I say every year) will be handmade... (exception, being books, and some tech stuff). But mostly this Christmas, I want to savor and enjoy a stress free 30 days of celebration... This means, starting a little early...

In September I will start compiling my list of things I want to make and for whom.... I love making gifts... I can make things I might otherwise not be able to afford and the feeling I get giving a lovingly handmade gift is better than any chocolate I have eaten thus far... A feeling you get to experience every time you think of the recipient or see them actually wearing/using your gift. September being only 12 days away... you can see why all the excitement and anticipation..