Christmas in September

Yep, I'm Christmas shopping. Not because I'm an early shopper. I've never started before December - ever in my life. And not because I like to shop - I don't. With a passion.

I'm motivated this year because my middle son is in Bulgaria serving a church mission and if I don't get it in the mail soon he won't receive it in time to open Christmas morning. I would feel terrible if he didn't get a package from his family for Christmas so . . .

What do you buy a just-turned 21-year old who is not currently reading novels or magazines and not playing computer games or sports? And it has to fit into a large padded envelope and not weigh more than 4-5 pounds. Tough assignment!

Inspirational music CD's
Hot cocoa for those rainy, chilly Bulgarian winters
Christmas candy (he requested Hershey's strawberry nuggets and Cookies n'Creme candy bars)
Cards from all of us with news from home and jokes and drawings
A homemade tape with all of us being goofy and singing Christmas carols and talking since we only get to talk to him a couple times a year by phone
Extra vitamins and chewable Vitamin C
Beef jerky
A new journal
(He got wool socks last Christmas)

He had his birthday on 9/11 last week and hit his one year mark in Bulgaria on September 15. One year down. One to go. I sent him a birthday cake to bake and it exploded before it arrived dusting everything in cake mix. A curse of crossing the Atlantic. Turned out, the other missionaries and people he knows there (he's currently on the Black Sea coast) gave him a surprise birthday party with lots of great Bulgarian food. He was completely delighted.

And told me in his weekly email that I need to learn how to cook Bulgarian food. He says it's the best!

I think I know what I'm asking Santa for Christmas now.