I plan ahead. It's just what I do. Nothing makes me happier than a good plan — especially for my holiday celebrations.

But it's important to remember why you prepare. You prepare so that, when the celebration arrives, you can focus solely on spending time with the folks you love, doing things you enjoy. I write Christmas cards while watching TV in early November so that I can free up time to walk around the beautifully decorated zoo in December. I shop throughout the year so I can spend cold nights watching movies, baking cookies, and drinking cocoa, not walking through crowded malls of short-tempered people.

But, at some point, you need to stop preparing and start celebrating. You sit at the table and you enjoy the meal and the friends gathered. You nibble cookies and watch little ones play with their gifts (or the wrappings). You just enjoy the event.