Just "Not" Singing in the Rain

Halloween is almost here and Thanksgiving will be right around the corner after the goblins go away.

We all know what comes after that----Christmas. Some years, when very organized, everything goes off without a hitch---cards out, decorated tree, house, gifts, guests, and so on. Other years, when I procrastinate, I'm running around like a chicken with the head cut off, on Christmas Eve day. That's not fun.

So this year, I'm trying to prepare in advance for the holidays. The goal is to have all the Christmas shopping done by the second week of November. With that in mind, I decided to go shopping yesterday. One family member requires specialized clothing so off my husband and I went on a spontaneous trip to Men's Wearhouse in a town an hour away.

The skies pelted down torrents of rain as we headed for the turnpike. I figured it would clear-up as soon as we got on the highway but I was wrong. Dead wrong. Visibility was similar to a drive-through car wash. At one point, a huge trailer truck threatened to come within two feet of my car's bumper. A second monster truck passed us to my left and a third was a short distance in front of us. Talk about petrified!

My voice shook when I said, "I'm scared."

"Keep your eyes on the road," my husband cautioned. "Just watch the white line." Having wanted to drive, I'd better suck it up, I thought.

Another moment of horror came when we had to drive on a high bridge. All I could think of is one of the trailer trucks whamming into my car, sending it flying through the air, and landing hundreds of feet below in the river. So much for positive thinking!

When we finally drove past the bridge, I thanked the Lord for taking the wheel.
Needless to say, it was a wretched day for shopping. Rather than feeling in the spirit, I felt happy just to be alive. Luckily, we found all the gifts on the list. had a quick lunch, made a stop at the Christmas Tree Shops (one of my absolute fave shopping venues), and headed home. The return trip was a re-run of the way down. Never was I so glad to drive into our driveway.

So that's my experience with this year's early Christmas shopping. In the future, if it's raining torrents, I'm staying home.