by Erin, Chief Mom

Well here we are, in one of the busiest weeks of the year. I’ve heard of those people that “just get it all done before Thanksgiving.”  But just say, for arguments sake, that the work you are doing this week could rival that of a procurement officer of an entire regiment.

Gift ordering, shipping times, cost management, equity of loot. Holiday card oversight, mall navigation, and God forbid, cookie decorating.  This sort of under-the-gun training would make any of you women a prime candidate to run Fedex global ops.   Plus the grace under pressure needed when, around say Thursday, your husband asks you “what are we getting for the kids?” 

How to survive?  Embrace the special moments. My husband and I were backing out of the garage last week to go to a holiday party when we looked up to see our kids, with their noses pressed to the window, waving good bye to us, the glow of the tree and the lights framing their figures.

It practically made me cry, with appreciation for this time in their lives and the knowledge that they will soon be too old for such a display of affection.

Of course they may have been enthusiastically waving us out the door because they knew that only then could they cajole the babysitter into giving them a bunch of cookies.  But ’tis the season of believing, right?  And these are the moments that get you through.

In the meantime, it’s back to global ops. Did you remember stocking stuffers?  Here are some quick ideas (and if you have Amazon Prime, you can still get many of these delievered to your door by Friday for free).