I usually set aside a Saturday in January to do all my holiday thank yous, but this little desk pile of mine includes envelopes with current addresses of all the folks who sent our household gifts this season. That’s the result of a cogent little moment of foresight when the first Christmas card arrived in early December.

So my fifteen minutes tonight included filing, shredding, recycling and–ta da!–writing my first thank you note of the season.

Now I realize Miss Manners would be peeved that I waited two weeks after Christmas to send my first expression of gratitude, but folks, I am a clutter bug, and that means I can’t always send a proper response right away because I can’t find: a) my stash of pristine note cards; b) the address of the person who sent the gift; c) postage stamps.

To have all those things together in one spot was something of a miracle tonight, and as Miss Manners also says: It’s never too late to thank someone for taking the time to do something nice for you.

How I feel: Happy, because I can actually see this pile shrinking, but more importantly, because I enjoyed thinking of my dear aunt and her kindness to us each year.

Strategy update: No new.

Next: Looks like I have a good chance of finishing clearing my desk top tomorrow. Woohoo!