As the first snowflakes drift to the ground, I'm almost ready. A couple of trees are lit (a "couple" ::cough::cough::). The sweet scent of chocolate drifts through the house as cookies bake. Gifts are wrapped and settled under the tree.

Except.

Except that by the time the calendar strikes December, I am supposed to be completely done with buying gifts. I rarely have much by way of gifts to deal with even as the ghosts and goblins of October walk door-to-door. November is unheard of. December is all new territory.

But it's going to happen.

For whatever reason, I am THAT behind on gifts this year.

As I scurry to get in front of the Major Project That Must Be Dealt With, Alexis is SUPER interested in everything that is going on. She has officially reached the age where she says things like, "Mom, don't you need to go shopping?" along with a WINK WINK and NUDGE NUDGE. When I offer to take her to the store, she suggests I go alone "Just in case."

The best part about her extreme level of care is that I am done shopping for her. There's one unknown item that will be acquired later, but that's it. I'm good with what is ready and waiting for her.

It's already waiting for her. Yes. It's under the tree.

Alexis discovered that there were already gifts under the tree at about 6:30 this morning. As she settled into a chair to eat breakfast, she looked up and saw all of the packages.

Bunches of packages.

Some of them are for Mila. Others are for Alexis. But only I know that because I didn't put tags on their gifts this year. There's a secret to deciphering what belongs to who, but I won't be saying what that secret is anywhere that Alexis might find it. Just know that I can absolutely look at a carefully wrapped package and tell you whether it's for Mila or Alexis.

But Alexis doesn't know the trick.

She just knows there are gifts and they don't have names on them.

And it is making her SO COMPLETELY CRAZY OMG.

It's a shame that at 9 years of age, Alexis still hasn't figured out that she shouldn't reveal her weaknesses to me. I mean, I didn't put names on the gifts in great part out of laziness. Now it's all about annoying Alexis. I LOVE ANNOYING ALEXIS.