Good thing I like Honeydew… oh, whoops, not THAT honeydew! Photo Source: http://billivorylarson.com/tag/to-do-list

It’s that time of year again – holiday madness and mayhem, mixed in with a hefty dose of kick-ass, good old-fashioned fun! Like many others I’ve talked to, I also feel as if the time elapsed since Halloween has gone warp speed; seriously, I fear I might blink and tomorrow will be Thanksgiving. And then just like that, I find out I’ve blacked out and when I come to I’m smack in the midst of Christmas morning (or New Year’s Day morning more likely if I’ve blacked out…). But there’s one thing I can count on being by my side the entire time: My lists. My lengthy and detailed Odes to To-Dos.

Lists… we moms live and die by them. OK, not DIE, but seriously, how good do you feel when you misplace one of your beloved lists? Yeah, not so much. Whether it’s a simple to-do list or a long-term goals list, all my lists have that single goal in common – to help me stay focused and on task. And very soon, or now as a matter of fact, I’ll be starting up even more lists, and it’s all thanks to the holiday season.

Just what are some of those extra special lists? Well, there will be lists dedicated to special meals and others devoted solely to baking adventures. Simultaneously, I will devise gift lists, both what’s been purchased and put away already and one directing me that Uncle Such-and-So still needs a special something. Oh, and let’s face it, we also have a special subset gift list for ourselves, RMT’ers; while I believe in Santa (of course I do!), I also know that if I don’t stuff my own stocking no one else will! Last but certainly not least, I edit and update my holiday card list (which is already underway… inquiries sent to those who might have moved, check; now, I sit and wait for replies). But before finalizing that address list, I’ve actually got to make time to sit down and design the card itself, which means whittling down a short-list of eligible photos for said card. Oh, wait, does a singular, decent photo of the three of us exist for said consideration? Legitimate question folks… and not sure how that gets asked year in and year out given we’ve long since passed the 10K photo milestone in our photo hard drive (that’s one photo for every hour that T’s been alive in case you’re calculating like C is). Perhaps taking a new family photo should go on the to-do list? Check (and sigh).

I’ve got lists on my phone, on the computer, and on scraps of paper I have at-hand when I fear my forgetting that great idea of mine within the 30 seconds it takes to boot up the digital list (scary, isn’t it?). I’ve got lists at home, in my purse, and in my car. I even make sure to pass along some of my VILI (Very Important List Items) to C out of fear that one of my many list systems should fail me. Unlike myself, C is a walking, talking, humanized hard drive of sorts; I trust his memory more than any external hard drive I can plug the computer. C possesses a brain that can remember a bottle of wine (varietal, vintage, and vineyard) from that random meal back in 2002 when we went wine tasting with our friends that one weekend. Yeah, that’s proof enough that for as much as I forget, C remembers that and more, so thankfully I have a special list-memory weapon at hand around here (thanks, Dear).

But for the times that call for extra-special list backup, such as this most wonderful time of the year, where’s Santa when I need him? I sure could use his input on how he keeps his lists organized! Oh yeah, that’s right: He has ELVES.