Christmas Panic

I'm starting to feel the Christmas panic.  I thought I'd manage to avoid all that this year, since I'm actually home.  But nope.  

Tonight after BB went to bed DH helped me lug up all of the Christmas decorations and the tree from the closet under the basement stairs.  I'd like to get started putting the tree up tonight, but there is a year's worth of dust, dirt, and dog hair accumulated on the totes (I think it falls in between the little cracks where the back of the stairs meet the part of the stairs that you step on) and I don't want to disturb BB's sleep by running the vacuum cleaner.  So everything is lined up and ready to be vacuumed first thing in the morning.  

I'm going to cool it on the Christmas baking for now.  I have two types of cookies and the nanaimo bars in the freezer.  It doesn't sound like much, but we don't have much (or any!) company...  aside from Christmas day that is.  I need to focus on decorating and finalizing gifts.

Normally on Christmas, we go to mom & dad's for Christmas Eve because it's my brother's birthday.  Then we go back down Christmas morning and are home around supper time because the dogs need to be let out.  We usually head to GF to DH's parents' place either on Boxing Day or the 27th.  But not this year.  We've decided that we need to start our own traditions now that BB is on the scene.  Sure, he won't remember a thing from this Christmas, but we need to start sometime.  So Christmas is taking place at our place in The Settlement this year.  

We've invited my family and DH's family to join us on Christmas day if they would like.  I believe my parents and my brother are joining us, and DH's parents are supposed to be coming down.  I'm not sure if DH's brother is coming or not.  I'm not really certain what sorts of traditions I want to establish for BB.  I've read of some families that give their kids a new pair of PJs on Christmas Eve from Santa's Elves.  I think that's cute, and I might start that.  Aside from that, I'm not sure.  Once BB is older we'll make cookies for Santa too.  That will be fun.  I'm sure other traditions will evolve over time.  Everything doesn't have to start this year.  But my Christmas focus has definitely changed since last year!  It's all about BB now, and I wouldn't have it any other way.