Start Here: Why Christmas in August?

In recent years, I have found myself dreading Christmas. I can't believe I said that. But I get a serious case of anxiety every single December. I want to create perfect Christmas cards, I want to have beautifully-wrapped packages containing meaningful gifts, and I really (REALLY) don't want to worry about paying for it all. Last year, I subscribed to "Organized Christmas" and "100 Days to Christmas", and learned several tricks about getting ahead of the game, but I still felt the last-minute crunch the week before Christmas, and I ended up resenting all kinds of things (myself, commercialism, credit cards, etc.). I had such grandiose plans for my homemade Christmas cards that I only finished FIVE of them! It would have been far better if I had just bought a box of normal cards and actually mailed them! What I really wanted was to RELAX, ENJOY, and SAVOR my time with family and friends. I wanted to stop and think about the true meaning of Christmas. Although the blogs above are worth checking out, this year I'm going to make a plan that fits my life specifically. THE CHALLENGE: I am a full-time piano teacher, and my schedule gets extremely tight once September rolls around. "100 Days to Christmas" doesn't kick off until September 16 this year, so that actually makes no sense for me. Why can't I begin my Christmas shopping on August 1 and have a drop-dead deadline to be completely finished shopping by August 31? I love this idea and cannot fathom why it has never occurred to me before. I'm blogging about this for myself as well as anyone else who gets a freaky case of nerves just thinking about Christmas. I plan to post tips I discover and mistakes I make along the way. Maybe this will work! Maybe I'll get to enjoy Christmas this year! Join me if you wish, and please share any tips you have in the comments. Merry Christmas! Sort of!