The time has come.
It is time to sign up for The Art of Doing Stuff's Christmas Pledge. A hand over heart, pinkie swear, spit in your palm and shake hands agreement that you will get everything you need to get done for Christmas before December 1st.
Except decorating the tree. 'Cause decorating the tree before December 1st is a practice performed only by lunatics and scary people. And I assume, some of you.
The Christmas Pledge was started on this blog a few years ago with more and more people taking part. It's a way to force you into doing the crappy stuff in November, leaving the fun stuff for December. Things like baking cookies and watching Christmas movies. Unless you hate baking cookies and watching Christmas movies in which case you'd better get those things done in November.
I will have a calendar up in the next few days that you can refer to in terms of what you need to get done and by when.
I know there are some of you who avoid the Christmas Pledge. And may in fact refer to it as the Christmas Plague. So I've taken a moment to let you know exactly why you should join the ranks of the Christmas Pledgers.
The following list is a real life account of what will probably happen to you in the month of December, 2013 (based on whether you do or do NOT take the pledge)
The final decision as to whether to sign the pledge or not can only be made by you. Do you want to win a Nobel Peace Prize and eat cookies? Or do you wanna get shanked?
If you're ready to nap and eat cookies throughout the month of December, sign up now.
[/print_this]
As added encouragement, those of you who have taken the pledge in past years, feel free to leave a comment saying how well it worked for you. (no showing off by writing your comment in Japanese or Sanskrit or whatever other language you spontaneously learned by taking the pledge)
Like what you read today?
Subscribe to my daily emails so you never miss a post!
Louise
Sign me up - I'm in! I'm sick of decorating the tree on Christmas Eve while my son sleeps. I want to string popcorn and make cookie ornaments together! I want to sit in the mall and watch the kids sit in Santa's lap, instead of desperately and breathlessly trying to find that last minute, PERFECT DAMN GIFT!
Pru
I'm in! I'm about 70% done with the shopping, wrapping paper and ribbons bought and cards written. I love this pledge. Friends think I'm mad but I love when December is left for fun things and not battling in the shops!
Carey
This is the part where I get really, REALLY mad at you and your A-type friends! I think you're just doing this to make the rest of us Christmas losers feel even worse about getting released from jail on December 13th.
Karen
Yup. ~ karen!
Trisha
I'm soooooo taking the pledge. Especially since I'm almost caught up with LAST Christmas.
barbee
I usually start making lists by then, all the more ironic because I work at the "Wonderland of Christmas"'. But, after your challenge, I started to think. What if things were crossed off my list because they were done, instead of because they were never gonna happen? What if I did all the things I wanted to do, instead of half of it at the last minute? I might be getting out a calendar and official Christmas planning book now, and (in the words of my daughter's) I blame you!
Liz
I have so much trouble choosing gifts... But I suppose the point is you'd still have a deadline, just not christmas!
Another comment, I've noticed you've added a new social media thing, little green popout thing on the left. I'm kinda blind (as in I'm rather short sited and haven't had my glasses scipt checked in a few years..) and increase my font size a lot. The green thingy is very very annoying. Just wanted to let you know - its not going to stop me reading your blog though.
Karen
I have no idea why it's green for you Liz. It's a white bar that lets you easily Pin posts, Tweet them or send them to Facebook so you don't have to scroll up or down to do it on my site. Anyhow, you'll get used to it. You probably thought I was very annoying to begin with too. ~ karen!
Meg
I want to take the pledge because (although I am pretty good at it by now) I hate the mad dash right before Christmas. Running around sweaty on December 23rd, cursing people who insist on bringing their cars to a full and complete stop *before* they get out to run into the mall, then having trouble even mailing things for under what the gifts cost, because I didn't remember I shouldn't buy enormous presents for overnight shipping. I figure if I take the pledge, maybe I'll at least do this process sooner.
And because I'm hoping it'll give me time to finish my remaining seven (of twelve) new year's resolutions, decorate without pressure, and do things like make a gingerbread mansion replete with working gingerbread cars in an excessive necco-paved driveway. And then still have time to eat it AND be smug.
I, Meg, agree to take part in the Christmas Pledge.
Tasha
We did it the last two years and it has made December so much better! It appeals to my husband's need for organization, and allows him time to get over his bitterness at Christmas shopping by the time Christmas rolls around! So I guess you could say it has saved his life because I was going to kill him if he complained about Christmas gifts one more time.
Also, December is a time for fun! So having the shopping done earlier makes it all the better.
I will have mine done by November 28, since that is when my parents are driving back to their place, and shipping it with them makes life easier for us when flying
Rebecca
I have always thought your Christmas pledge was an excellent idea however I have never participated but this year will be different. I've actually been looking forward to Christmas since July when I started a Christmas list. Call me crazy because I have already bought some gifts but I'm going to bake cookies and actually enjoy it this year!
Hazel
Yes, definitely! I've been thinking this for a while and decided that this is the year it will all be done for the beginning of December.
I also have my youngests two childrens' birthdays in the 10 days after Christmas (I know, the midwife just laughed at me by #3) plus the birthdays of both my parents, my husband and my eldest child in December and January, so I really ought to get off the computer and wrap a few more presents...
Kailee H
As I am due to have a baby next week I have decided everyone gets homemade soap this year. The soap is already made and curing and all that is left is to find a nice but easy way to package them.
Aimee @The Stylish Nest
Oh yes, I'm in! Some of my shopping is even done already. :)
jenny
Or do you wanna get shanked? Maybe I've just been up too long, but that killed me. My face hurts from laughing!
Laura
It works!! Do it! I'll never go back to last minute crap ever again! This will be my third year of joyous holiday celebrations thanks to Karen's pledge.
Chris
Umm, I guess I'm one of the scary ones because my tree is put up on American Thanksgiving , my Christmas cards were handmade in July and I've had presents stashed away since last February. I really like Christmas!!
I like having everything done early so I can sit in the sun (no snow here) reading a book while avoiding the department stores.
Chris =]
stephbo93
Hmmm.....I'm thinking about it. I have to see the calendar first so I know what my next few weeks will have to look like.
Larita
Haha! I've been waiting for this! I've been reading your blog for a few years now and laughed at your silly pledge, saying "I don't need that. I'm super organized all on my own." Then promptly did absolutely nothing for Christmas. Like, one year, my house had NO decorations. Last year, my brain exploded just trying to get he bare minimum done in the week before. So this year, I'm on track to be done all kinds of Christmasy thing by the first week of December. Looks like your pledge is not so silly after all.
Becky
Even though I resist doing anything Christmas related until AFTER American Thanksgiving, I'm taking the pledge.
But, I really think cartoon sparkles are gonna hurt, I mean I really don't want to scratch a cornea, so let's pick somewhere else for them to shoot from, mkay??
Katie
I am quite excited to have discovered your Christmas pledge recently/accidentally while reading old posts. I already got a head start on Thanksgiving, so now my plan is to have Christmas sorted by December 4th (more wiggle room given my weird perfectionism/OCD feelings about dates) since three weeks is plenty of December para mi. I am so(!) excited(!) to not dread the October through January season for the first time in my post-college adult life.
Thanks for putting this brilliant idea into the ether! Consider me pledged.
Jenna
I LOVE this! Sadly I'm one of the lunatics that decorates my tree before December 1st and I'm even more maniacal because I leave 2 of my trees up year round and change the decorations to suit the season. Looking forward to the cartoon sparkle shooting out of the corner of my eye! :-)