Getting Ready for a Christmas Trip

I am a list-maker.  Especially when something big is coming up.  Like Christmas.  Or a vacation.  And especially a vacation and Christmas together.  I make lists of things to pack, things to do, things to buy, things to wrap, things to eat...  I might even need to make lists of my lists so I'm not as discombobulated with all my loose paper lists like I was this year.  I'm cleaning out my black bag- my brain when we are out - and I came across all my lists.

Packing for a one-week trip over Christmas:

• 3 sets of clothes (with a washer and dryer, this was plenty of clothing)
• snow gear (didn't really need since we were sick)
• Sunday clothes (worked well to pack this in its own garment bag)
• nativity bag (dress-ups for putting on the nativity - scrapped as I got too crazy)
• bathroom bag (wipes, medicines, bandaids, toothpaste, and all that bathroom stuff)
• activities bag (things for the kids to do)
• Christmas bag (decorations for the tree, stockings, lights, tinsel, wrapping paper)
• presents (boxes and boxes packed tightly with already-wrapped presents)
• kitchen supplies (pizza pans, bread pans, turkey cooker, other things I didn't know if they would have)
• food (lots and lots and lots)

The only category I got totally wrong was the food.  Maybe it was because we were sick, but we took way too much food.  I guess it's better to take too much than too little, but when there is  grocery store within 30 minutes, it might be worth it to not pack just everything.  On the other hand, I'd rather not spend vacation time grocery shopping.  

It makes me crazy to get ready and pack up to go somewhere.  I'm nearly good with getting ready for church, almost.  Anywhere else - get ready for a breakdown or two.  My listing helps me see that I am making progress and that there is really not an unending sea of things to do.

And maybe next time, the first thing on my first list will be this:

CHECK YOUR ATTITUDE.  THIS IS A VACATION, NOT THE END OF THE WORLD.  HAVE FUN!