It is shocking, but I finally have come to accept that there only are so many hours in a day/week/year, and how you divide them up does not mean you have more of them. Thus, while the holiday cards are mailed (truly a feat), the presents are not wrapped, and I truly fear looking at my list twice since I think there is someone I am forgetting. I have been so busy that I am running my life in 24-hour increments focusing on what I need to do in 24 hours and not projecting much beyond that. It seems to be working since I am not experiencing holiday meltdown.

As my family and I prepare to embark on our annual Christmas retreat to the Outer Banks, I find myself double-checking the calendar every now and then to be certain that Christmas IS indeed right around the corner. Time at The Book Report Network always seems to move faster than usual, and I am looking forward to spending the final days of 2008 unwinding with my family and reflecting on this past year.

As I write this, I am in the airport waiting for a flight to Florida where I am meeting up with my friend Starr for a weekend of catching up at the beach. Okay, I confess that this is a trip purely to hit Gold Status on Continental, a quasi "mileage run." I was 1,200 miles short of the required 50,000 miles to "go gold" and decided to do a short trip for pure fun to hit the goal.

The tree is up, the house is decorated, the cards have been designed --- and shockingly even ordered --- and I am moving on to holiday shopping. According to the results of our most recent poll, 78% of you are planning to give books this holiday season, and to the 7% of you overachievers who already have your shopping done, I so envy you. Both of my boys want books, which makes me smile.