This is the time of year when it starts.  I look at the calendar and think, "Holy ten toes! It's November and I haven't even started."  I haven't started planning Thanksgiving which Bill and I host each year.  I haven't started party planning for my son's December birthday, which we usually schedule in November since families are so busy mid-December.  I haven't started the master list of Christmas gifts, activities, parties ...

This time of year fills me with equal parts anticipation and dread.  I look forward to seeing the expressions on my children's faces when they open their gifts, but worry about buying the right presents, keeping it within budget, and keeping it fair.  I enjoy our festive tradition of walking the brilliantly illuminated and decorated Eucalyptus Street in San Carlos but the kids wouldn't get out of the car last year and we ended up driving up the block which didn't compare to seeing the homes up close, engaging in conversation with other families, and enjoying the sense of community.  I love making memories that linger, like the fast-flying snowball fight that ensued around the dining room table on Christmas Eve after we opened an indoor snowball set from my brother and sister-in-law.  But sometimes what I remember the most aren't the good times but the stress that comes with the obligations and additional responsibilities, like staying up super late to assemble, wrap, and scramble to get everything ready by Christmas morning.

As I write this, it's late October and I'm already feeling overwhelmed.  I haven't been sleeping well lately - staying up until the wee hours to design and sew my son's Halloween costume (Link from Legends of Zelda), write the blog, and get the monthly newsletter finished and scheduled.