In Hiding

It's that time of the year for me--time for all the wonderful holiday things I've packed away to come out of hiding. The problem is, when you only use something once a year, it's really, really difficult to remember where you put it!

I bought an Advent wreath for the first time last year. I really wanted to start that tradition with the girls, to make the meaning of Christmas the most important part of the season. Today I found the pink and purple candles but not the wreath! Aaack! And this weekend is the start of Advent! (Deep calming breath) I have one more box of decorations to open; I will pray it's in there!

Now for the other 99 things that I did find but had forgotten all about:

• The gifts I bought for Thalia's teachers after Christmas last year. In the meantime, Thalia and I had bought other stuff to give them--oh well!
• Christmas craft kits so the girls could make gifts for our relatives. I was so happy to find these!
• Ornaments for our tree and for our friends' too. A welcome surprise.

Maybe this year, on December 26th when I start my Christmas 2009 shopping, I'll also start writing down what I buy and where I hide them for the next 11 months.