In case you were too busy texting or reading the latest gossip on your iPhone, Christmas is less than three weeks away and falls on December 25. That’s not a whole lot of time to do what we must do in preparation.

Personally, I do not celebrate Christmas, but love to partake in many of its traditions. However, this year and this season has gone by in such a blur, I now have to decide which priorities take place. Perhaps my readers can help me out since most likely they are in the same predicament.

Candy and treats: I still haven’t had my first candy cane. I love gingerbread houses, they are so festive. And while Starbuck’s and others are promoting hot chocolate, I have yet to have my first cup. Now mind you, the first cup can’t be at a McDonald’s. It has to be in front of a roaring fire with Christmas music playing in the background along with plates of cookies. Have you heard of the latest hot chocolate fad? In a blender, with the milk and chocolate, add a chocolate cake donut and blend. Then heat up to temperature. Can you believe?

Things to see: I did get in Disney’s Scrooge and it was OK. But still need to see Charlie Brown, Grinch, Miracle on 34th Street. The Rockettes are playing live along with 10 other live shows at this time of year. Oh, the light shows are still going on at Wayne County Festival of Lights, I think anyway or perhaps the lights have been strung around Ficano and he is now a live Christmas tree.

Gifts and such: Why is it men still call fragrance “perfume?” When was the last time anyone bought perfume? For those that don’t know, perfume is the highest concentration of fragrance. Next comes EDT (Eau de Toilette) which is the most popular. And then comes cologne. No one really buys cologne anymore. At least I hope not. Outside of perfume, electronics are always popular and looks like tablets will be ultra hot. Remember when we bought CD’s and DVD’s as gifts? And here is the thing I want to know, what percentage of gifts are regifted? 50% or more? And what percentage of gifts are retuned? 25% or more? Clothes seem to be high on everyone’s list but is there anything worse than buying clothes as a gift?

Giving back: At least I got this so far. We made our goal to ACS for $100,000 and working hard on making our goal to Forgotten Harvest for $10,000. Some say this really is the time of the year to give back. But then there are those that complain that people only give back this time of the year and forget about the other 11 months. It’s tougher than ever to give back.

Music: Ah, nothing like having two top radio stations playing all Christmas songs. How many hours of Christmas songs can I listen to? About the same number as you. Some of them are really good though.

Cards and such: I sign way fewer cards than ever before. I hate getting pre-signed cards, in fact, I don’t even open them up. With society becoming less social than ever, I think this is one tradition that is dying off. And YIKES, I still haven’t bought a box and need one!

Family fun: Ho, Ho, Ho. The family is getting together and what more fun can that be? I think there are more family arguments in December than the other 11 months combined.

The company party: Oh, we use to do this big time. Rent the Ritz, give them the AMEX card and everything was perfect. Oh, so security called me at 4AM and wondered who this person was that crashed in the men’s room. Oh, what about the employee who passed out in his room before the party started? No big deal. And what happened in the parking lot? Now we have our Annual Meeting (this Saturday) and indulge in breakfast and lunch. That’s lots of fun.

Mistletoe: Always wondered about that and still do.

Christmas tree: When does that go up and is it real or artificial?

Eggnog: Now that is not a candy or a treat. Who invented this concoction? It’s one thing that will not go down my throat so this is certainly not a priority.

House fragrance: It’s not Christmas without some potpourri bubbling in a pot on the stove vaporizing and spreading throughout the house. Let’s not forget candles too. Way down on my list although I do like live fires.

Cookies: I know, part of candy and treats but Christmas cookies are so festive. I also think they are the worst tasting. I don’t recall any other cookies in which one takes a bite and doesn’t finish the rest of it.

Shopping: What more fun than going to mall and checking out all the decorations? And what more fun that dealing with the throngs of people, strollers and people pushing you to get the item you want. The Christmas spirit is alive and well and this is a must tradition. Somerset does it best.

Please, prioritize for me, time is running out and there is far too much to do. I say let’s simplify the whole thing and make Christmas a two-day celebration and do everything in those two days. Now that would be real fun!

Happy Thursday!