Silent night,

Holy night. All was calm.... and then, this was facing you outside: a raccoon ... and he's got your cookies hostage. What do you do? Do you kill him? No. That would not be very Santa like. He's just enjoying in the cheer like you and me. The look on his face tells me he's singing "Deck the halls with bows of holly.... fa-la-la..." and we cannot kill him.

For he, indeed, is just a metaphor for what really lies before us as we enter into the holiday season. He rages inside our body looking for his cookies. This raccoon represents in the fur the anxiety attached to the Christmas season.

Sure, we love the things it brings like singing, ice-skating, arbor decoration, and, most importantly, the gift of love between all mankind. But there is one part of Christmas that we all secretly hate. That part is the shopping and the preparations for everything we later enjoy. Imagine! People start shopping for Christmas on Christmas half-off sales December 26th. What kind of madness would start this? Christmas madness. It is a disease diagnosable by a business demeanor when talking all things Christmas. It is accompanied by an all too detailed "person ---> budget I will spend because I love them this many dollars ---> gift" flow chart. But do not worry my friends. If you suffer from this, you probably have most of your list checked off by now. And I'm sure little Suzie won't know the difference between last year's Paris Hilton fragrance and this year's Just Me, and you did a great job covering up with black permanent marker the red stickers from Walmart that say 1.00. Really, calm down, that raccoon in your soul was having a feast on your stress cookies. Time to relax him with some eggnog of peace.

So, as the days count down, just breathe! You'll make it there and you'll make it through. Everyone will love everything you get them. And if they hate it they will return it without telling you. It'll be okay. Calm the raccoon.

87 days until Christmas!