Ten weeks to go

 You know what I'm talking about!  Sorry about that.

Every year I say I will be more organised at Christmas.  I will write things down.  I will plan better.  But somehow it doesn't happen and some time around 16th December I have a panic.  How those of you who have families manage, I have no idea!  Apart from toddling off to church Christmas morning I will spend the day alone.  My hope is that each week in the run-up to the great day I can write down a few of the pre-Christmas things I have done so that I have the start of a Christmas planner.  Well, that's the theory

I've volunteered to take an 8am service Christmas Day so that one of our local clergy can be at home with her children while they open their presents and the children won't have to wait until after lunch for that important time.  I think a lot of clergy children get a pretty raw deal at Christmas as their parents work so hard that they just don't see enough of them and I feel that this is a way I can help.  That vicar will still take her midnight service (when the children are in bed) and Christmas morning family service (when the children will go with her) but they will be her priority early morning.  

I've got my Christmas cards made and the labels printed.  Many years ago I created a database of Christmas cards to send so sorting the labels is a doddle.  I make all my cards the same and make sure it is a simple design.  Now the only thing is to write a message in each card.  Groan.  

Each time I have an on-line delivery from Sainsbury I include a few stamps on my order.  This makes sure that my order is always over £40 so I don't have to pay a supplement for a too-small basket and I don't have to buy a huge quantity of stamps at once.

What will I have done by next Saturday?   Watch this space!