This is one tradition that never dies.

Each year around this time I feel myself getting swept up in the Christmas hype. I want to decorate and trim and bake and wrap gifts and deck the halls.....immediately. I'm ready to go out and buy a tree TODAY. I want to be more prepared this year, ahead of the game on gifts, more creative, more organized, more festive, more...more....more....MORE **IS** the Christmas mantra, is it not?

Inevitably, I end up waiting 'til the last minute on everything, getting stressed, and scrooging out....thus my love/hate relationship with Christmas. The love part is now--end of November-beginnning of December, when all the lights come out and the music is still not annoying, and you can't wait to bring out the Christmas decor and lovingly remember who and where that sweet little angel ornament came from. The hate part comes along around the middle of December, when I still haven't come up with the perfect Christmas craft, I've spent too much money because I couldn't make up my mind on gifts and consequently bought wayyy too much to compensate, and half the tree has been eaten by the dog.

Bah-humbug.

So this year, like each year before it, the Rosie Tradition of Promising to Start Early and Be Prepared and Be Merry and Not Overspend and Coming Up With the Perfect Original Gift for Everyone perseveres. GASP....today I might get STARTED.

Oohhhhooooohh!!