You are so right to call them rituals.....................
I start the packing list soon after I make our reservations (11 mo in advance). When I feel I've gotten everything I can get out of the list (in terms of sheer anticipation enjoyment), I begin to gather items for the trip, putting them on shelves I've cleared in my closet just for this purpose. I usually spread the vacation purchases over several months, trying not to be too "organized," but if I see something I know we'll need, I pick it up and put it on "the shelf." 6-8 weeks before the trip, I set aside an evening to start the real fun - comparing "the shelf" inventory against my packing list. Sometimes I add a few things to my list that I picked up and forgot to put on the list to begin with. Everything else I go through, and mark on my list as "packed." Then I update the list on the computer, print out another copy, and put it on "the shelf" again. At this point I also create my "organized" buy list of all the stuff on my list that I didn't get yet. I spend the next 2-3 weeks picking things up on the list, sometimes looking for something specific, sometimes picking something up when I see it on sale. About 4 weeks ahead of time, I go through "the shelf" and the list again, this time packing whatever I can. Now the list is updated yet again, and there's usually just a few items left to purchase/find, and I do that over the next week. This process is repeated until the morning we leave.
Now, I'm packing for myself and 5 boys. My husband packs only for himself (and I'm glad he does), so I'm also packing any "extras" we need to take with us (beach towels, laundry soap, bandaids, cough medicine, etc.). Those "extras" take up an entire suitcase.
I have all the clothes for the boys waiting on "the shelf" but haven't packed them yet because I didn't want them in baggies for 4 weeks before we leave. I'm afraid the wrinkles would be permanent. Since we home school, we don't do the back-to-school shopping thing. Instead, we get new clothes when we go on vacation!
I also have goodie bag items (and associated list), sorted by person, for everyone going with us (16 people) that I'll give them the night before we leave. I still have to figure out a good way to package them.
I created a list for our "day bag" that I can mark off each day we're there so we don't forget bandaids or moleskin when we go to the parks. There's also a list for the things the boys and I should have in our fanny packs. (Believe it or not, the list actually helps me avoid taking too much into the parks rather than adding to the load!)
I also created a "pool" list so I don't forget anything when we go to SAB. Let's not forget the grocery list, the calendar with every minute accounted for, or the envelopes I've printed to keep track of our $$ during the week.
Is this overkill? Yes. Is this weird behavior? I'm sure of it. Do I love this? Absolutely!! Please don't stop me!!!!!!!!
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