I am hoping to get caught up with some of my holiday chores this weekend, but I feel hopelessly behind already. The recent sale of our house and move took up a couple of weeks that would normally be devoted to gift shopping, card writing and baking. On top of that, we’re currently living in a two-bedroom apartment with no room for our usual full-sized fir tree, and most of my three-decades’-worth of decorations are in storage. There isn’t much chance of a white Christmas here in southern Oregon, either, unlike the near-guarantee of one in north central Washington. So, it’s not looking (or feeling) much like Christmas right now. How’s that for holiday cheer? I still have a few weeks to rally, though, and I know myself well enough to know that the spirit of the season will soon infect me as it always does. Jenny will be home from college in a few days, and we’ll be cranking out goodies by the dozen to share with friends and family. We’ll discover the new neighborhoods to cruise for the best holiday light displays and relish the best part of the holidays: time to spend with each other. Right now, my top priority is getting the Christmas cards and letter sent out, to alert everyone to our change of address. It always seems like a monumental chore, but once I force myself to sit down for a few hours (and force Harry to do his share of the note-writing and card-signing), I usually find I’d built it up in my mind to be far more daunting than it actually is. One thing that helps me get through it is to load up the CD changer with a bunch of my favorite holiday discs. We have a few compilations of the old standards, but I really enjoy the anthologies from Windham Hill, the unique arrangements of Mannheim Steamroller, the very nontraditional Trans-Siberian Orchestra, and the Christmas collections of such artists as Sarah McLachlan. If I’m feeling terribly stressed, a few tracks from a CD of Advent Gregorian chants will totally mellow me out (works great any time of year, actually!). The other motivation for finishing the cards is anticipating the cards, photos and letters we will be getting back from the recipients of ours. I hear people gripe about receiving the “form letters” which gush on about a family’s brilliant children and extraordinarily fulfilling lives, but I honestly enjoy getting caught up with our friends’ lives and kids. No one is forcing anyone to read the letters if they don’t want to, so where’s the harm? After living in three states and five communities in 27 years, we’ve got a long list of folks with whom we keep in touch. There’s no way I could hand-write a note to each person on it who wants to know how everyone in our family is doing, so I write one of those epistles (and yes, my children are brilliant, though I don’t know how extraordinary my life is). Okay, I think I’ve just about worked myself up to facing those boxes of cards. I hope that if you’re finding yourself overwhelmed by current events, the coming holidays and your obligations, you can find a quiet moment (and a good CD or two) to catch your breath, grab a little perspective and remember the blessings that come at this time of year. Patty Vanikiotis, proofreader