Wednesday, December 21, 2011 By KAITLIN DUNN - Advertising Confessions of a Christmas-aholic My name is Kaitlin Dunn and I am a Christmas-aholic.      As soon as Santa comes down 34th street, ending the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, it is officially Christmas for me. I really don’t think that it is possible to convey my love and obsession for this holiday in any way but to show you.      My first Christmas excursion is on Black Friday. I hop out of bed at the crack of dawn. Energized and ready to beat everyone out of the way, I speed to the mall. I just can’t resist buying all my presents right now! After all, that gourmet fruitcake was only 5 dollars. I’m sure my aunt won’t mind that it was baked 4 years ago.      The Saturday after Thanksgiving the decorating begins. I get out my 10 boxes of lights, the giant inflatable Santa, reindeer, and Frosty, then before long, my house is looking 100 times better and brighter than Clark Griswald’s in Christmas Vacation.      I move inside, where the Christmas tunes are blaring, and start decking the heck out of those halls. Tinsel mistletoe, holly: not a table, banister, or wall shall go undecorated!      The next weekend, it is time to search for the perfect Christmas tree.  No, I won’t be found at the 7-11, picking out a prepackaged tree that someone else cut down, nor will I be at a commercial Christmas tree farm. I cut my trees down in the woods, they’re bigger, fresher, and best of all, freer.      After hours of searching for the perfect tree, my father hauls it home in his truck, makes sure there’s no woodland creatures hiding in it, and it’s time to start decorating.  First go the garlands of popcorn and the antique ornaments hand painted by my great grandmother. After that come the adorable ornaments made by yours truly when she was 5 years old, and finally the piece-de-resistance: the angel.      Two more weeks until Santa comes, I’m so excited. I have to share my joy with the world. I should mail out my Christmas cards! I have to write a 7 ½ page letter, recapping the entire year for all my friends and family. I enclose a copy of it along with a gorgeous self portrait of myself in a festive Christmas sweater in each of my cards. I can’t afford to send a copy to everyone I know, so I only mail 350 cards this year. The postal worker gives me a funny look when I dump them on her desk. Maybe she knows I didn’t mail one to my second cousin’s ex-wife. The horror!     One week left until Christmas, and it’s my biggest weekend yet. That’s right; it’s cookie-baking time! The whole Saturday is spent in the kitchen. Mixing, stirring, and of course sampling my 34 different cookie recipes. Then on Sunday, all of these cookies must be boxed, and either given away or frozen to enjoy later.      Christmas is almost here! I have to give away all my presents to friends this last week in school. I can’t believe I won’t see them for an entire 10 days! I’ll miss them all so much! At least I’ll see most of my friends on Thursday night when we go caroling in my neighborhood. I know they’re all looking forward to standing out in the freezing cold and singing to strangers as much as I am!      Now doesn’t this schedule sound a lot more fun than grumbling about decorations and glaring at Salvation army Santas for an entire month? December is the best month of the entire year, leading up to the very best day of the year. So for all you grinches out there, release your inner Christmas-aholic, and have fun this season

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