Christmas Countdown

The holiday season is flying by at breakneck speed. I cannot believe tomorrow is Christmas Eve. I should know it, however, because all the telltale signals of the frenetic pace are starting to show and to wear on me. Here are my signs the Christmas season is at its peak:

*got super-excited about snowflakes flying, until I had to drive through them
*bought a (new) Christmas gift on Craig's List and did not get murdered in the exchange
*forgot where I parked-- twice
*argued with the Toys R Us clerk about the definition of the word "sale"
*argued with the Kohl's clerk about the order in which she scanned my discount cards
*got caught in a cart whirlpool in the Costco cooler section and had to keep circling the strawberries until and eddy (I think his name was Eddie?) yanked me out to the bakery area
*flirted with the Costco clerk to get him to pack everything back in my cart before the frozen juice melted into a puddle
*told busy-bee kids, "You can't make up for all your grievances against Santa in one day!"
*drove around town delivering cookies here and brandy slush there (hope I didn't mix those up...) something I'd been meaning to do all month
*forgot to feed my kids lunch, but was then thrilled when they ate a huge, early supper
*didn't even have the energy to explain a sardonic nine-year-old's sense of humor to the elderly couple in Culver's who heard Amanda say she wished one of Santa's elves would die
*did all the laundry, all the cooking, all the cleaning while my husband "shopped" for eight hours and then called asking, "What do you want for Christmas, anyway?"
*abandoned the gift wrapping to drive around and look at Christmas lights, and allowed myself to be thrilled as the kids were