The holidays are fast approaching...

and I always greet them with some sort of cautious optimism with all sorts of precedents in the history books to validate my careful approach.

Thankfully I'm long past the days when my net worth would double or even triple after raking in the Christmas booty (trust me, my net worth wasn't worth much back then), and I've lowered my expectations considerably on the ol' Christmas spread sheet as now the payables are always much larger than the receiveables which is a great place to be in life.

Getting a gift or two under the tree from either side of the family to me is a blessing. When I became a father giving became much more enjoyable than receiving because, let's face it, I'm a winner in that case especially as the kids get older and the games are no longer recommended for ages 0-4 and now are 5 & up! That means I get to play, too!

Family gatherings can be difficult to arrange and you almost need an event planner to organize because there are so many variables when you mix five siblings and their spouses and try to secure a date and time for said holiday gathering.

Eventually it all gets worked out, and a good time is usually had by all. Oh sure, there are always the little "conflicts" that seem to arise (like the time one of my young nephews thought it would be funny to call 911 and the Hartford, S.D. police arrived or, when my dad was still alive, the annual father/son/son card games would get a little out of hand due to the over-competitive nature of some of the participants...myself included) but no one got seriously hurt, mentally or physically. There is much deeper rooted mental scar tissue that acts as a buffer zone as I've gotten older.

Then there is the annual ritual of one of my sisters, who don't have children, making the wise crack either my way or towards my brother about, "just when I think I really want kids, I come down here, visit you guys and am happy with my life!"

This year I'm ready for them. If I hear either of them offer the aforementioned commentary, I'll offer "just when I think I really wish I didn't have kids, you come down here, visit with us and realize how happy I am with my life!" which would be followed up with a RickyBobby-inspired "Wow! That just happened!" I know, cruel, but as my coffee group friends would say, "that's good writing!"

As stressful as the whole holiday process can be, it really is an enjoyable time because as I've found out lately after losing some acquaintances who were relatively close in age, life is too short to worry about the stuff you can't control. And remember, this year's ugly sweater you got from under the tree on one side of the family can always be next year's white elephant gift on the other side!