It's called Christmas Creep by some. It's not even a debate to many folks; it just makes them angry.

But there's a positive twist to this whole early Christmas shopping dilemma that we're already seeing in Lubbock stores including Walmart, Hobby Lobby and Walgreens.

First of all, if no one was buying it, retailers wouldn't take up shelf space with it. So some of us must appreciate the head start on the holiday season.

Every year I really want to do up Christmas in a big way, but somehow life is so hectic that I run out of time to get everything done the way I really want to early enough to relax and enjoy it.

Let's face it, all of our lives are much fuller than in the old days. We are juggling so many things that we need to start earlier on the big projects like Christmas if we don't want to arrive at the actual day too completely exhausted to enjoy it.

Maybe it's too soon for gifts and a live Christmas tree, but it's not too soon to make a plan and pull together some of the pieces, the ornaments and decor, the cards and wrapping paper, the boxes (oh boy, always scrambling for a box for something!) and the recipes.

As a kid, I celebrated Christmas with my Grandparents and it was the best! Grandma had everything planned out to a T and she always started early. I remember for the really big dinners, Grandma and Mom and I would even set the table for supper in the morning. It was the complete and matched setting, including relish dish, bread plate, dinner plate, salad plate, soup bowl, multiple forks and spoons and engraved napkin holders. A wonderful handcrafted centerpiece and the best linen all made it a really special occasion.

It's the kind of attention to detail that we scarcely have time to think about anymore. But maybe, if we start early enough, we can remember all these things and lay out the plan in advance so we have the kind of old-fashioned Christmas we always dream of. Oh, and the energy and time to actually relax and enjoy it!

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