Counting Down and More Snow

Five days until Christmas.  If this is a holiday that you celebrate and you don't have all of your shopping or making finished, you have FIVE days.  If you haven't paniced after this statement, you're probably either perfectly fine with all of your gifts purchased/made and ready for wrapping, or you have given up, celebrated Channukah earlier in the month, or simply don't care.  Whichever might describe you, I hope that panic is not part of your viewpoint right now because panic gernerally leads to mistakes.  Don't panic if you don't have everyone you love taken care of yet. Stores are still open, and there are still wonderful gifts out there. 

Don't give up - there are plenty of gifts available for your loved ones.

Stuck for a gift?  How about a membership to your local museum or zoo?  A gift card to the cinema?  Or maybe a ticket or several tickets to your local symphony?  Those are the kind of gifts that are quite easy to get, and they sometimes also carry a tax deduction along with them which may also be of help.  In the early days when my DH and I really had no money and were struggling, we bought things like shampoo, toothpaste and other toiletries for each other.  It meant that for the next few months that person would not have to purchase those things, giving them a little bit more money for other things and the gifts were very appreciated. 

Our snow isn't quite THIS bad (yet), but isn't this depressing?

And, of course, we are expecting more snow.  We should get approximately four inches during the day today and another four inches overnight tonight.  My DH is stressing because Tuesday is his shopping day - he still hasn't gotten gifts purchased for his father and me.  He thinks that the day will be very tense and hectic in any case, and adding snow to it (with the addition of a dental appointment) will really push his buttons.  I think I'll try to get things shoveled for him, but I also have a dental appointment tomorrow morning and so I'll have to be out there VERY early shoveling.  Ick!  I'm busy thinking "No Snow, No Snow", even though it is beautiful, I'm really tired of shoveling it.