I'm All Jingled Out

It's not even December yet, and I'm already all jingled out.

We had a good Thanksgiving. We saw family, ate lots of good food, and enjoyed the leftovers. It was a good holiday.

But then, as soon as Thanksgiving was over, we were on to Christmas. It started out quite pleasantly. My wife (who is amazing!) spent hours making homemade gingerbread houses. On Black Friday/Leftover Day, my wife, the kids, my Mom, my sister-in-law, my niece and I spent hours decorating the gingerbread houses. The kids had a blast! (And the adults enjoyed it, too.) It's a very fun family activity, and it's a good way to get rid of leftover Halloween candy.

Hours of family fun!!!
 (And yes, the kids did "accidentally" eat some of the candy while decorating their houses.)

The next day, it was time to put up the Christmas tree, which would have been much easier if all of the pre-lit lights would actually light up and be lit when the tree was plugged in. They didn't. So, it was time for a trip to the store and a new Christmas tree.

Meanwhile, as she was busy with all of this, my wife was also spending hours online, shopping for Christmas on Black Friday and Cyber Monday (and the Saturday and Sunday in between, which don't have specially marketed names. Yet.) She puts a lot of time into picking out what the kids need and what the kids want for Christmas. It may not seem like much, but it takes a good amount of effort and skill to navigate the interwebs to find the things that will make the kids smile on Christmas morning. (I got on the computer, too, but it was only to check my fantasy football score on ESPN.)

And then the kids got out the hats. A couple of years ago we got a couple of silly elf hats. They have bells and lights, and they each play a song. (One plays "Jingle Bells" and the other plays "We Are Santa's Elves.") The kids absolutely love these hats, and I like them, too, for about five minutes.

Very festive! (And annoying.)

It was during the 739th rendition of "Jingle Bells" that I lost it. I yelled, "Stop the hat! I'm all jingled out!" Yes, I was all jingled out, and it wasn't even December yet.

But, I really shouldn't be jingled out yet. I still have to write the family Christmas card. I still haven't done any Christmas shopping yet. (Back in October a friend of mine told me he was finished with his Christmas shopping. I wanted to punch him in the stomach.)

I haven't earned the right to be jingled out yet. My wife has. She has already put in hours and hours of work toward making this Christmas a good and memorable one for the kids and me. She is amazing!

It's time I help her out. I need to put myself in gear and get in motion.

I need to get re-jingled!