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An Early Christmas

November 18th, 2014

I realized last week that I’d better get in the Christmas spirit because I have to have most of my gift shopping/making finished by Thanksgiving. Since we travel back to Ohio for the Thanksgiving holiday we don’t go back at Christmas. That means we celebrate both holidays at once. It’s nice to get them both done at once, but that means I have to be ready for an early Christmas. Usually it sneaks up on me because I’m focused on putting the garden to bed and getting all the fall cleanup finished. Then I realize we have Christmas in two weeks – YIKES! Thankfully I’m usually good about purchasing gifts throughout the year as I see them, I only have a few things to finish up this week and then I’ll be ready.
Christmas Tree 2013 1
Thankfully there’s snow on the ground, which makes it much easier to get ready earlier. I put Christmas music on the stereo last night and worked on a few Christmas gifts. I’m just about ready, but I’ll check and recheck my list a few more times. It’s actually nice to do it so early, that way Mr Chiots and I can celebrate a leisurely Christmas alone at home. I don’t have a tree up yet, but I feel like I should have one up to put all the gifts under. Perhaps we’ll head out and cut one this weekend.

Do you celebrate any double holidays to make it easier?

7 Comments to “An Early Christmas”
  1. Jodiana on November 18, 2014 at 9:57 am

    I am done with my Christmas shopping as well. The rest of what I need to do is home made gifts. I am attempting to make soap, lotions and bath salts/bombs this year. Being done this early is a nice feeling. No running around fighting crowds! :)

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  2. Nebraska Dave on November 18, 2014 at 10:12 am

    Susy, oh goodness gracious no. I’m not ready for Christmas yet but my shopping is not too difficult. To shop for family, especially teenage girl grandchildren, that live in a place like Green River Wyoming or Las Vegas, Nevada, and now with Bradley being in Bandera, Texas, it’s virtually impossible. I used to send presents but the cost became more to ship them than the cost of presents inside the box. I switched to gift cards which they seem to like better. Yeah, I know. It’s not very personal but what’s a long distance grandpa to do. Bradley will be back for Christmas so it will be a little more up close and personal for Christmas for him. His coming back will drive me to put up the Christmas tree and maybe some lights. He likes lights.

    I will probably get my 14 Thanksgiving cards sent out this week. Then I can begin working on the Christmas letter and the 80 some cards that I send out every year. It’s a lot of work but people seem to like them and mention how great it is to see what I’ve been doing all year.

    Have a great double holiday preparation day.

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  3. Teresa on November 18, 2014 at 10:28 am

    We do Yule-at-Thanksgiving with my mom, and just last night, talking to her, I realized how soon that is. We have a few gifts, but I need to order one more thing for her and clean off the old laptop she asked me to pass on as part of her gifts this year. (I love recycled gifts!)

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  4. Lorri on November 18, 2014 at 11:17 am

    Oh my, I don’t think I would be able to pull off both holidays at once! My mom lives in California and doesn’t typically fly home to Maine for the holidays (she informed us she doesn’t do snow anymore) so I have to make sure her I have her gift finished and mailed during the first week of December. I can barely do that on time!

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  5. Trish on November 18, 2014 at 6:20 pm

    I’m curious about who takes care of your animals while you are gone. That is definitely one thing holding me back from diving into getting a lot of animals.

    Reply to Trish's comment

    • Susy on November 18, 2014 at 9:48 pm

      Sometimes we just have a neighbor check in on them a few time a week while we’re gone and sometimes we have a farm sitter come stay. When we have pigs and if the dog is here, the farm sitter comes. If we take the dog with us and just the chickens/ducks are here then a neighbor checks in a few times a week. Electric net fences make it much easier to leave things protected from predation while we’re gone.

      Reply to Susy's comment

      • Trish on November 18, 2014 at 11:57 pm

        there is such a thing as a farm sitter? how wonderful!! thanks for answering. I wish I had a neighbor who would look in on things. how fortunate you are!!!

        to Trish's comment

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This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.

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