I saw my first Christmas decorations recently, and I suddenly realised Christmas is coming. It came as quite a surprise – even though I’ve just done my quarterly plan, (or maybe because), I was still thinking I had all the time in the world before Christmas got here.

There’s food and drink to buy – including the Turkish lemon, mint and ginger flavoured Turkish delight I look for every year. Perhaps some fancy French shortbread too.

Lunches and dinners to try to squeezing into already full calendars.

Not to mention setting a budget and buying gifts. Trying to get them packed and posted before the “cheap” mail closes and I have to send them express. Not that I have many overseas gifts now.

It makes me laugh when I think about how organised I was as a younger woman.

And laugh even more when I remember how much I looked forward to Christmas as a child. The long, long days preceding it.

These days it’s upon me before I notice. I really should put a note in next year’s diary for September to get organised.

Though I suppose I should notice we all start getting a little cranky as we get closer to the end of the year. As though we all need a good meltdown at the end of the year, something to inspire all our resolutions for the New Year.

Then again, it’s partly the breathless rushing around I enjoy.

At least I haven’t yet had to do my Christmas shopping on Christmas Eve.

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