No Stress Stress

I do know that Christmas is on the same date every year, of course and the people I exchange actual gifts with I can count on the fingers of one hand, but somehow I feel more stressed than in previous years. I don't know if it is just the fact that I only came back from my Big Trip a week before the first advent Sunday and was a jetlag zombie (or at least went to bed way earlier than usually) for a solid week afterwards, but somehow time seems to swoosh by at double speed this December. The Christmas cards I ordered have not arrived yet, I still don't know what to get my Dad (who of course does not want anything) and only got to bake my Christmas cookie staples this weekend. The fact that my new office is not conveniently located in a shopping district is not helping much either. I don't even want to know what real "Christmas stress" must be like, where you have to shop gifts for two dozens of relatives and fight over whom to celebrate with when with the in-laws. It's all very low-key and straightforward chez moi, but Stress's little sister seems to have decided to stalk me this season. (Oh, and if you feel like writing all my Christmas cards once they do arrive, please raise your hands.)