It's October 1! And in case you haven't checked, there are just 84 days till Christmas!

Ready or not, here it comes–the holiday season is fast approaching! Thanksgiving will arrive in 53 days, and many of us start celebrating the Christmas season the next day! (Some of us start even earlier; I know of a few people who start putting up their Christmas trees and other home decorations two or three weeks before Thanksgiving!)

Even though December 25 is still 84 days away (as of Oct. 1), you don't really have 84 days to prepare. To have time to relax and enjoy the season of joy, you should have your plans and preparations wrapped up (pun intended – tee hee) earlier than that. The sooner the better!

Since money is tighter than usual this year, I've been earning gift money by using Swagbucks.com. I plan to finish shopping with my "free" money by Dec. 1. I'm so excited that I can do that! (That money also paid for my daughter's graduation gifts and birthday gifts this year.) My daughter and I discovered some new recipes for yummy treats that we're going to enjoy and give as gifts. Our Christmas cards are sitting in the craft closet where we'll easily find them when it comes time to send them out. Things are progressing pretty well for us.

How about you? Tell me what you've planned and/or accomplished so far this year that will make this the best Christmas ever! (To my friends and family with new bundles of joy: having a baby or grandbaby counts as an accomplishment! Babies always make the holidays extra special!)