Here it is, Christmas Eve, 2016!

Are you ready?I file my column a few days ahead of time, and as of this writing, I am not. Hopefully, by the time you're reading this, I am.Based on past performance, though, I'm going to guess the odds on that aren't good.The Wonderful Husband had a vacation day yesterday, and he promised that he'd take care of everything that still needed to be done. Among other things on the list I prepared for him: If you have to stop at Cabela's, buy yourself a present.Lest you worry that the romance is gone from our relationship, you will be happy to know that he is already hard at work fulfilling my Christmas wish. It's a two-parter. First of all, he hauled the fattest tree at the tree farm up a flight of stairs and installed it. Our Victorian living room is long and narrow, and has three French doors at one end. We need a very specific type of tree to fill that space, and unfortunately for the WH, that type of tree is heavy. He didn't even break a window this year, and our tree is without question the best one yet.My second Christmas wish is the decoration of the two-story, open staircase that winds through our first and second floor. It's a grand, Victorian staircase in its own right, but decorated with a simple lighted garland and some red flair, it is the heart and soul of my Christmas decorations. We display a collection of stockings that we've acquired over the years, including some very special ones handmade by the WH's grandmother. It's beautiful to look at, but wow, is it a pain to assemble. Invariably, one section of the lighted garland has burned out. Since we purchased the garland 11 years ago, finding a piece that matches it now is nearly impossible.Every year, we pack the garland away carefully in a giant plastic garbage can. In theory, reinstalling it the next year should be as simple as feeding it out of the can and attaching it directly to the bannister. This never works. Somehow, we always end up about 5 feet too short, or with the plug at the wrong end of the steps. The last few years, the WH has taken on this assembly job, and I'm hoping this year will be no different.I'm not alone in the not being ready department. Most of the friends that I've run into this week are wearing the same frazzled, reindeer in the headlights look that I have. We're all ticking off our lists, scratching out Christmas cards as we wait to pick up the kids from piano lessons, frantically ordering that last-minute gift over our phones.It's ironic that Christmas season seems to start earlier and earlier every year, and yet, every year, the last minutes get more and more hectic. Why do we do it?I've talked to many people this year who are downsizing or keeping it small-scale this year. I've talked to many people who have noted that they are just not "feeling it" this year.I know Christmas has not been the same for me since I lost my dad and grandmother. Our national mood has certainly not helped create an atmosphere of festivity and peace. Whatever the reason is for a lack of Christmas spirit, I know that the antidote for it is small children.Keeping the magic alive for my kids has certainly made the past four Christmases much more bearable. They can drive you crazy as they insist on assembling the train under the tree right at the very minute that you are trying to work the step ladder around to get ornaments on the top of the tree. However, it's impossible to maintain Grinch-itude when they are squealing with excitement about their favorite ornaments and ohh-ing and ahh-ing over the neighbor's light display.The kids have made a game of counting blowup lawn decorations every time we leave the house, and of course, Christmas carols must be played on the radio. The kids have been eating their way through cookies about as fast as I can make them, slowing down only enough to add a few more pounds of sprinkles to the cutout cookies or to turn the mixer on full speed as I'm trying to add the dry ingredients, creating a soft blanket of flour snow all over the kitchen.We've been letting the kids pick movies to play in the background while we decorate and bake and make all the other preparations. You won't find "It's a Wonderful Life" playing in our house. No, we are full-on fans of "Christmas Vacation." When I asked G why he liked "Christmas Vacation" more than some other movies like "Elf," he said it was because our family is a lot like the Griswolds.While we thankfully don't have an RV with a full septic tank parked in the driveway, every year that we survive without a deflating turkey and an electrocuted cat is a success in my book.I have no doubt that whatever your current state of preparation is, come midnight tonight, all the stockings will be hung, Santa's milk and cookies will be ready, the reindeer food will be sprinkled on the lawn, and all the magic of Christmas will be present with each and every one of you. Merry Christmas, everyone!Liz Pinkey is a contributing writer to the Times News. Her column appears weekly in our Saturday feature section.