Every December, I convince myself I’m going to glide through the month like someone in a cozy holiday commercial—calm, organized, maybe even holding a mug of something warm. And every December, reality taps me on the shoulder and hands me a schedule that looks like it lost a wrestling match with the Christmas Walk.

It starts the second the first event reminder hits. One minute you're feeling good—tree up, a few gifts stashed away, nothing too wild—and then suddenly it’s Christmas Walk week, and your calendar looks like a scavenger hunt written by someone who actively dislikes you. The parade. The Jingle Run. School concerts. Choir performances. Cookie exchanges. Work parties. The “quick stop downtown” that is never actually quick. Oh, and the annual scramble to remember which events you promised you’d attend, support, or simply not forget existed.

Shopping in Geneseo during December is its own special sport. You run into someone you know in every aisle, which should be lovely—and it is—but it also means a “quick trip” now includes three conversations, one friendly argument about weather models, and at least one reminder that you still haven't mailed your Christmas cards. And then you walk out with five things you didn’t intend to buy and none of the things you came in for. Classic.

And the weather… well. It’s December in Illinois, which means it could be 55 degrees, or it could be Snowmageddon, or it could be both within six hours. Around here, the forecast is more of a suggestion than a plan. You check it, you shrug, you grab your coat anyway.

But for all the overbooking, the running around, the forgotten cookie trays, and the “wait, that’s tonight?” moments, there’s something about December here that hits different. The lights downtown. The windows. The kids running around with red noses but refusing to wear gloves. The way everyone crosses paths, on purpose or by accident, and somehow it feels like part of the season.

So no, December will never be calm. Not here. Not anywhere. But the December Shuffle—the real Geneseo version—has its own charm. A little chaotic, a little cozy, a little too full, but always worth it.