I can’t believe 2010 is almost over. I guess that’s OK because I’m still having trouble feeling comfortable writing the date with just /10 at the end of it. It feels like something is missing without the familiar zero before the final number.

c9 Christmas bulbs

But, honestly, I’m not ready for this year to end. The Christmas carols have just started playing in the stores and I haven’t bought one single gift yet. The good news is I’m thinking about this when I still have more than a month to go.

So, I figure out the big things that I have to start planning now:

1. Make sure I get a great gift for my Mom
2. Plan the Christmas decorations

These are the top two on my November list. Number one on the list is verrrrry important because as they say down south “If Mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy”. But, in all seriousness, I do love to put a lot of thought into my Mother’s gift since her gifts are always so thoughtful.

Christmas lights in large tree

The Christmas decorations are in the category of bigger Christmas items because they take time for planning and because their D-date is 11/26 which is only 9 days away. So, it may be of no surprise that I’m going to install our new holiday lighting line in my yard this year. I have quite a few big trees so I’m going to wrap those trees with the LED string lights. I’m also going to use C9’s across my roof line and probably install some lighted garland around the front door. That way it looks nice when you enter the yard, when you drive by my house and when you walk in the door.

Would you believe I even have to squeeze in time with the installers? They’re really busy during the holiday times but are making time for every single Christmas outdoor lighting installation.