Weekend Open Thread

Keeping this short today because, like everyone, I have a lot of last-minute holiday-related tasks on my to-do list I’m working on. I’m lining up content for next week since I’ll have Jackson home with me and won’t have time to do much DWing. And I’m planning a Hanukkah dinner with brisket and potato latkes, and finishing shopping, and wrapping presents, and getting together ingredients and cookie-cutters to make Christmas cookies with Jackson (even though the little Scrooge keeps saying, “I don’t WANT to make cookies!”, I have a feeling he won’t mind eating said cookies and maybe helping with decorating, especially when he sees it involves sprinkles and making a mess, two of his favorites), and I have to organize Jackson’s toys and books and box up stuff he’s outgrown to make room for the new stuff he’ll be receiving in the coming week. Also, just to make things even more exciting, the hardwood floor in Jackson’s room has to be replaced because of damage from a pipe that burst a couple weeks ago, which means right after Christmas, everything has to be pulled out of his room so the workers can tear up the floor and lay new wood. Luckily, the work can be done while we’re in Missouri visiting my family, but I’ll have a very narrow window to do Christmas clean-up, pack for the trip, and clean out Jackson’s room (after just getting settled in after our move a few weeks ago). It feels like it’s been non-stop activity for the last few months and I am looking forward to a winter respite in the early weeks of 2015, after we get home from Missouri. And I hope I haven’t totally jinxed things now that I’ve typed that out.

What do you have left on your holiday to-do list? If you’re still shopping, don’t forget about my holiday gift guides, including men’s gifts, women’s gifts, stocking stuffers, and here’s my list for babies and toddlers from last year with a bunch of ideas that are sure to still be hits in 2014.