I've noticed groundhog day creeping into my life ever so slightly over the winter months. My daily routine has been the same. The car drives in the same direction. We have the same repetative rota of winter meals, on and on it goes in ever decreasing circles. On Sunday we had one of the first warm sunny days in months and I felt the cobwebs mercifully melting away

Over here in Australia, between now and Christmas, we have an empty calendar celebration wise - sadly, we do not celebrate Halloween, (individuals do but its not a national thing)

We do not pause for Thanksgiving. From now on ? its a downhill run, and from here I can already see the tops of the Christmas trees. Oh, and is that a sleigh bell I hear in the distance?

The Christmas Grand Plan site informed me that there are ONLY 102 days till Christmas, With that in mind, and the adrenaline rush that followed, I set off to a new shopping 'maul' to look at new stuff with Christmas gift possiblities in mind.

Since we simplified (click on link here) our lives, gifts have been kept to a bare minimum. The DD's mostly get a ca$$h boost to their coffers, as buying gifts for them has become almost impossible. Much easier to part with some ca$h rather than buy gifts they won't like or need.

Dh usually gets a small gift, friends receive smallish gifts too.

We used to give the kids stocking fillers, which they enjoyed when young, once they became teenagers though, they emphatically told me to stop with this tradition!

Christmas ends costing us a ridiculously small amount in $$ terms, but that does not include food shopping. We do spend a bit more than we usually do on food/nibbles/gourmet treats over the festive season, but we also have summer here so it becomes a Christmas/ summer food combo. I will write about our Christmas trads closer to date.

Since I love to be so organised, all that is left to do is to wait for the gift wrap to arrive in the shops and then I plan to beat all the crowds and post cards, packages nice and early!

Just watch me ! Planning to be first in that Post office queue this year!

Still on the To Do list:

sort and wrap overseas gifts

post early to beat the rush

xmas cards are addressed and ready to go

Find/buy those last minute gifts before they are snatched up in shops

finish my annual online newsletter for family and close friends

buy summer wardrobe for DD junior

Look for suitable prom dresses for DD junior while they are available in shops over the summer season! ( more on THIS topic grrrr! another time)

Exit one whirling dervish holiday planner!