I\’m starting early with my Christmas celebration.

Last Friday I got Chinese take-out for supper; and that was \”Christmas dinner\”. Actually, it made Friday night supper and Saturday breakfast; but that\’s typical for a Chinese combination plate — or, indeed, for any restaurant meal.

I\’m starting early with my holiday beverage, too. Yesterday I was at Whole Foods, and got a quart of almond nog. I drank some of it yesterday; and portioned out the rest in small jars to freeze. When December 25 comes, I can have some more of it!

Starting early has advantages; and I do a lot of it. I like to get to stores for opening time, so I can beat the crowds. As far as the salvage store goes, I figure the good stuff will go fast; and of course I want to get there early. In hot weather, going early lets me get back home before the worst of the day\’s heat, too.

On Sundays, when I plan to put in my biggest ride of the week, starting early means I can finish before noon; and then I can have the rest of the day to blog; take it easy; and so on.

Maybe we\’d better not get going on the subject of holiday gift shopping. I, for one, like to get it done before December; and then I have ample time to ship the gifts. Rush shipping at the last minute of course costs more; and in addition there\’s the stress of worrying that the gifts won\’t reach their destination before Christmas.

In general, I dislike rushing at the last minute; and that covers a lot of ground: Christmas shopping; getting to work; and going to appointments. Arriving early and having to wait beats frantic rushing any day.