Dear Lynnie, I admire so much people who get things done early, but you sure make the rest of us look lazy.LOL If I bought gifts a year ahead of time, I'd probably forget where I hid them, and would have to run out and last minute shop anyway. I'm 75 years old, and believe me, I mean old! I have had to cut back on so many traditional things, that a lot of the "fun" has gone by the wayside for me. But, I still have all my kids and grands on Christmas eve, and sharing the evening with them, hearing their love and laughter , that is all that matters to any of us. Well, the little ones want presents!!LOL Last year I had a mild stroke the day before Christmas, so mild that it went unnoticed except in hindsight. My mild "confusion" was just looked at as Mom's getting distracted again. By New Years eve I was in the hospital with blood clots in my lung and pretty sick. So this year, all that matters is we are all still here. If everything isn't quite the way it use to be., so be it. I just don't worry about things like that anymore.