Is it really just one week away from Christmas? Where has the time gone? It feels like just yesterday it was Dec. 1, and now here we are staring down the holiday.

The GT staff is getting in the holiday spirit today, celebrating our annual holiday party this afternoon. The luncheon is always a good time, with yummy food, lots of laughs and an entertaining gift swap. This year we are holding the event at Jericho National Golf Club, and we have staffers coming in from New York City, Connecticut, Boston and, of course, Pennsylvania. And, thankfully, we never have to deal with those work Christmas party nightmare stories you often hear about this time of the year.

I am dreading heading out to finish my Christmas shopping this weekend. I know the stores will be packed and the lines will be long, but I have no choice. When else will I finish up? Not only will I have to battle crazed, frantic holiday shoppers, but I will also have to battle an impending snowstorm. The unpredictability of this storm makes me nervous. As I watched the weather this morning ,the local meteorologist couldn’t pin down the amount of snow we could expect. It’s either between 1-3 inches or between 5-10 inches.

So my plan is to wait and see what Mother Nature brings us tomorrow. If the weather turns out to be quite white, then I plan on spending the day baking and finishing up my Christmas cookies. I made chocolate chip banana oatmeal cookies the other night and shortbread cookies last night, but I still have a chocolate peanut butter cookie, a chocolate hazelnut cookie and raspberry linzer tart left to make. And then, hopefully, I can battle the rest of that shopping list on Sunday!

Happy Holidays!

— Kim Krol, eFlyer editor, circulation and public relations executive