my paper chain is getting shorter

When I was little, we would make a red and green paper chain to count down the days until Christmas. We'd tear one off each day, inching closer to the Santa at the top. Anticipation = love.

This morning, Andrew's alarm went off at 4:15am (ew, gross) and for some reason, this is the thought that popped into my head and wouldn't leave: we're leaving in nine days for our Christmas travels. And even though there are 15 links left on the chain, these elves have to have it all locked and loaded in nine. That means all the presents ready, all the clothes have to be clean, all the nooks and crannies of the house have to be dustless and our bags have to be packed and ready to go by bedtime on Friday. Whoa.

And it's no secret that making lists takes me to my happy place, so let's just cut to the chase. Here's what I have to do prior to departing next weekend:

• Finish Christmas shopping. We're hoping to knock that out this weekend as we venture downtown to see our beloved Charleston decked out for the holidays.
• Wrap all of the presents.
• Wash all of the clothes. I'm declaring next Friday pajama day to make sure every stitch of daytime clothing gets washed in time for packing that evening.
• Complete the gifts I vowed to hand-make. The tally is currently at 9. Yikes.
• Host our bible study's Christmas party.
• Make peanut butter balls for the neighbors.
• Watch Rudolph, The Grinch, Christmas Vacation and It's a Wonderful Life. We checked off all the others!
• Clean. Because the thought of coming home to a dirty house gives me hives.
• Finalize our NYC itinerary (!!!!) and make reservations where necessary

Oh, the Christmas spirit. HO HO HO.