As we head into this holiday weekend, I hope you have all of your shopping done, presents wrapped and holiday plans fleshed out to spend time with family and friends.

If you haven’t, you have some work to do just like me.

This weekend will be a time to put the finishing touches on the presents that remain unwrapped, and fill the stockings with all the trinkets we love, or hate.

I say “put finishing touches on presents,” but the process of putting flashy paper on boxes hasn’t even started at my house.

However, I am pretty sure all of my shopping is done. Even still, I’m not going to be surprised when I get around to wrapping them this weekend to discover someone was forgotten.

That revelation will result in a mad dash to the nearest store in an effort to avoid a stressful visit to the local big box store. You may not believe me, but I’m looking forward to wrapping those presents.

Not because I like measuring and cutting paper before putting tape on ugly folds that result in an atrocious wrapping job. But because I look forward to giving those gifts to the intended recipient, especially the little ones who still see the magic in the holiday.

Christmas is a time when you can set aside all of the every day stressors, gather with those who are most important in life and remember what it was like to be a kid yourself.

So, as you gather with friends and family to field questions about your life and attempt to ignore the sounds of noisy toys bought by those without children, remember to do so safely. And don’t forget the batteries; because those noisy toys will need a refill in short order.