Like mother, like daughter

I called my mother yesterday for a few things I needed sorted along with some items I needed her to send me for the Christmas preparations, a part of the conversation sounded like this:

Me: I need the address for Marianne's boarding school (my sister)
Mum: I've send it to you on facebook already
Me: Good because I want to send her a Christmas card, I've written them today and just need her...
Mum: *giggles*
Me: YES! I've already written the Christmas cards, I want them sent before the first of December because or else I won't get it done, time flies-
Mum: yes, time does go quickly
Me: Right, and in two weeks it's Kate's birthday and after that there is the Christmas afternoon with the Danish group
Mum: When's Kate's birthday?
Me: err...... the 19th....
Mum: So the day before your sister?
Me: Dammit! Forgot, what does she want? Need?

and so on.... My mother is a perfectionist and have everything sorted and in order ages before it's needed. She's known for having finished her Christmas shopping in August and any Christmas card from her arrives the 30th of November, 1st of December she takes the finished batter out of the freezer and makes Christmas cookies (the batter which she made end October or start November) and I find myself planning like she does. She has for ages tried to implement her ideas on me and I have stubbornly fought against it but now I can see the point of it. I beat myself up each year I don't get the Christmas cards sent and I hate the years when I don't even get to hang the Christmas decorations. I have lately (the last couple of years) taken to my mother's kind of planning and timeplan. It works! Because as December closes in there are so many things you have to do and remember and there is always more family visits and small gatherings with work, friends etc. so having the basics sorted helps a lot, enough so that you do not feel overrun by the holidays and that you haven't gotten to do the things you originally wanted. There is nothing worse than starting a new year with regretting all the things you didn't get to do.