It Never Hurts to Be Prepared

Monday, August 25, 2008  by Gregory Gronbacher
Category: preparations, Christmas, early

Following the lead of Cindy over at the Mom Pod Blog, I too, will make a confession of my occasional neurosis. In this case, Christmas neurosis.

Last week I bought my Christmas decorations. I know Christmas is still more than 100 days away, but last week I had all the Christmas "stuff" out of storage and spread all over the living room and dining room as I reorganized it and put the newly bought ornaments in the mix.

A little background will help this confession make a little more sense. I just didn't wake up one lovely, summer, August morning and think to myself "gee, what a great day to go buy Christmas ornaments". Rather, I stumbled into this situation.

Earlier this year, I had repainted my condo. (friends joke that I repaint so often I'm losing square footage). The old colors were pale yellows, blues, and greens. Now, my place is all white and red.

When the color scheme was yellow, blue, and green, I decorated my white, artificial Christmas tree with light blue and silver ornaments. It all matched.

Allow me a little more digression. I know a white tree isn't everyone's first preference, but I fell in love with white Christmas trees as a kid when my aunt Lynne always had one. My first few years living in Grand Rapids, I had real trees. But after killing a vacuum cleaner each year trying to pick up all the pine needles, I decided to go for the artificial tree. It just so happened that my mother was visiting from New York just before Christmas that year and offered to buy my artificial tree as an early Christmas gift. We went into one place with lots of trees and I watched my mother cringe as I bee-lined for the white trees.

Well, I realized earlier this year that I would need new ornaments. Light blue ornaments on a white tree in a red and white living room would look more like the July 4th than December 25th.  

We have a store in West Michigan called Hobby Lobby. Its a large arts and crafts and seasonal decorating store. I had stopped in to look at what they had out for Autumn and Halloween. (Again, what's the harm in being prepared?)

I was rather pleasantly surprised to see that they had their Christmas stuff out -- all of it. So, instead of going home with pumpkins, bats, and artificial fall foliage, I went home with a hundred or so red, white, and silver ornaments.

Now, if I keep up this pace, I will be shopping for Easter egg dye and chocolate bunnies just as Labor Day arrives. If you are like me and like to prepare early for upcoming holidays, I believe the Amway Global Holiday Catalog will be coming out in the next few weeks. I'll let you know when I see its available.

 

Comments

# j4.1776 said on September 7, 2008 2:58 AM:

youre not alone m8.   You know we gift others when ever we see something that reminds us of them.

Now, ill tell you, that can get expensive!   But after building our business to founders platinum+, we have a bit more freedom to do so.

In the past, we would actually start making these 'gifts' their actual Christmas gifts.   Which means we had stuff we were actually picking up January through December!   Now, we don't exactly start the wrapping process when they are purchased, but the gifts are there and it doesn't hurt so bad when you have to scrimp everything you have including the bank cards monies 3-5 weeks before.   Nor does that have anything to do with changing the colors on the walls!

But,,,,,,ill tell you, even as we continue to add business to move into diamond, we still do so as described, but our anticipation for the fall catalogs is indescribable.  We always wait til we get home from the board plan the day we get it and go through it together.  And while that 'print' catalog is great, we really liked it when they did that red dot thing a few years ago.

That there in lies the beauty of having a web based business foundation by a catalog...

... Those that still need to curl up in the chair and feel, touch, fold the corner and see paper pictures can do so, though it is not up-to-date by the time it's printed, and then go right over to their PC and go online to see the updates.

The two just go hand-in-hand.

And being prepared, whether it be making sure you have a tree that matches the walls, or making it easier to afford to just purchase gifts, there is always a smile that accompanies it.

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