Ten Things On My To Do Before Christmas List.

1. Make cheese ball.
2. Defrost ham for Christmas Day.
3. Wrap presents.
4. Buy ingredients for enchiladas for Christmas Eve. Done yesterday.
5. Put Christmas tablecloth on dining room table.
6. Bake pumpkin  pie(s).
7. Pick up some cans of whipped cream for the pies.
8. Plug in the tree and make sure the lights work. Done right after Thanksgiving.
9. Buy wreath for front door. Gave up on this one because I couldn't find the wreath hanger.
10. Finish Christmas letter. Done last Monday.
11. Email Christmas letters. Done Friday and Saturday. 
12. Snail mail Christmas letters. Done Sunday night.
13. Clean Elder Son's room. Cleaning lady comes today.
14. Stock the beverage refrigerator with Leinie's Creamy Dark, Elder Son's beer of choice.

As I may have mentioned, I don't do much in the way of Christmas baking or decorating any more. Our tree has stood fully decorated but unplugged in a highly visible but little used part of the house for several years. The Christmas letter, a wreath for the door, and celebratory food for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day — I'm done.

When I think about what I used to do it makes me tired. One year I threaded lights through a wreath and a 16' swag for the front entrance. I would set up a Christmas village on the piano or the mantel. Hang the hand-knit Christmas stockings. Buy a real tree and decorate it. Take down the clock in the dining room and hang the two framed needlepoint nutcrackers I made. Electric candles in all the windows. Hang the red and green stained glass suncatcher in the window. Hang mistletoe in the entrance. Get out the Swedish angel chimes. Sheesh, I think I need to go lie down now.