Meanwhile, Day 336 through Day 359

These are the fastest moving days of the year -- for adults. It is hard to fathom how the days can move along the way they do at this time. Not to mention the disappearance of all Thanksgiving leftovers, including the cranberries. (There are 3 small containers of turkey soup in the freezer though that will be consumed soon)
It is amazing that so much activity will occur in the coming 23 days -- finalizing decorations, shopping, wrapping, mailing, and planning holiday menus -- don't ya' just love it . . .

The newly installed outdoor laser lights bring pleasant viewing throughout the evening. It was such an easy task to do -- pretty much, plug in an extension, aim the laser, set the timer, enjoy. I could see how people get carried away . . .

Now, back to the tasks at hand -- online shopping. Even in the middle of the night when an idea pops into your head, it is up and at 'em and hitting the right keys to make the purchase that you just thought of . . . unbelievable.

I find it exhilarating to be able to shop at several different stores in a few minutes -- without having to find a parking spot.

Granted, the "net" slowed down some this week during the heavy buying times, but nothing like hearing about lines that formed just waiting to get into "brick & mortar" stores.


And then let's hope that the incentive of "free-shipping" continues. A lot of the shipping comes quickly as well -- often in just two days from the big online companies. On our street we are inundated with delivery trucks -- Dino is fascinated as well.

To the left is just one day of receiving shipments. Some days there are multiple deliveries because orders are often broken down into multiple shipments.

Today, for example, we received five items shipped individually and we'll probably receive a couple more later in the day.

 Some of the deliveries are for everyday items and some are for gifting.

Shopping has changed since the advent of companies like Sears & Roebuck and Montgomery Ward.

What will the next evolution of shopping be like for coming generations? Can only imagine.

 And we have already set up the folding tables for the "in-home" wrapping station.

We choose to wrap our own gift items as opposed to having them wrapped, except if we have items directly shipped from the retailer -- then we have them gift wrapped.

There is always a sense of satisfaction to see a "pile" of home-wrapped gifts appearing after struggling with the paper, tape, and scissors.


BUT, a dose of reality, especially for those of us in California and a few other states -- tax reform.

Depending on the final version of the current legislation, we in this state will probably lose the deduction of state income taxes when filing our federal return.

And, there is a possibility that there will be a reduction in the amount of home mortgage interest that could be allowed -- these two deductions might have an impact on holiday gift giving to some extent.

In the next few weeks, we will be made aware of what's what. I can only imagine the turmoil about to hit in the world of "tax preparers". Gail and I combined, spent 43 years working in the tax preparation business as secondary and retirement type jobs (Gail did that for 33 years).

Tax prep firms are saying that they are not worried -- with change comes the need for professional advice. And, everyone will still need to "file" some form of a tax return.

And lastly, we focus on the kids in our tree during this time of year. These days probably are the slowest moving days of the year for kids, as they count down each and every day with "are we there yet" questions . . .

Some of the above are still kids, while others are "young-at-heart" so to speak. It doesn't make any difference for a lot of us -- we still feel the excitement of the season.

Enjoy your week, see you all "in a few"!