Transferred from my old blog: Christmas Fever

December 5, 2003

If there's one thing I hate about Christmas (and it is the only thing I hate about Christmas), its Christmas shopping. I know I'm not alone in this!! I hate fighting through packed shopping malls. I also hate it when you think you've finished your shopping finally, and then you remember you forgot to get one for X...repeat fight through packed shopping mall. But in the last few years I discovered that doing your Christmas shopping early is the secret to eternal peace and happiness.
Last year Bryan came to visit me in Sydney for December, so I wanted to get all my Christmas preparations out of the way before he arrived. I had all my Christmas presents bought and wrapped by the end of November, and that made it so much more fun counting down the days to Christmas. Its less stressful trying to think about what to get everyone when you don't have a clock ticking in the back of your head.
This year, we are going on holiday for Christmas and so I need to have everything done by the 16th Dec. I bought some of my presents online this year, and it was so easy, even if the gifts did get lost in the mail, or sent unwrapped to the giftee a month before Christmas. I did get stressed about the present that got lost in the mail, but since I was weeks ahead of time, I told myself there was plenty of time for it to turn up. Imagine if that had happened the week before Christmas?!!!
This year will be my first Christmas away from my family. It will be very strange, and probably a little bit sad. But on the other hand it will be completely different, so I'm imagaining it will be a lot of fun. Bryan and I are flying to Phoenix on the 16th, and driving to the Grand Canyon from there, spending a few days over it. From there we will head back to Phoenix, and spend some time looking around. Bryan's parents will meet us there and take us back to their home town of Green Valley, just outside of Tucson.
So this will be my first meeting with his parents. Bryan's two brothers, Neal and Ted, will also be there with their partners, and so I will meet the whole family at once. I met Neal and his wife Sandy a few months ago when they came through Vancouver. It was very painless, and I was quite amazed at how alike Bryan and Neill were. I'm sure the whole thing will go very smoothly.....I intend to make a fabulous Chistmas ice-cream cake to win their affection !!