You simply cannot miss it these days. When you’re in the car, you hear it on the radio. When you’re in a store, you hear it playing over the store’s speakers. You hear it on television commercials and — most of all — you hear it being hummed by just about everyone around you.

It’s Christmas carols.

By no means am I a Scrooge when it comes to Christmas. In fact, I’m quite the opposite. But, I’m already feeling a little bit of the pressure of being woefully unprepared for the holiday season.

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, I had family visit from south Alabama and — knowing that I am miserably prepared for an event such as Thanksgiving dinner — they packed their van with an entire pantry, spice rack and half of a grocery store’s flour, sugar and cornbread mix.

There was every intention on my part to have a large role in the annual Thanksgiving gathering other than providing the location for visiting family and dinner for friends and family.

There was an effort placed on ensuring the house was clean, refrigerator stocked and organized and spare bedrooms ready.

But, while that organizational effort may have allowed me to move past the Thanksgiving holiday, I fear I am out of any organizing mojo and will be rushing through my Christmas gift list on the final hours before Christmas.

Then again, at this point, I may be rushing to even complete the Christmas shopping list.

Considering my line of work, where I — and those I work with — confront deadlines every day and without organization and preparation might never get an edition completed on time, you would think I could handle a deadline that is more than three weeks away.

But, alas, no.

Without a doubt, I will wait until the last minute, stress about the last gift idea and bemoan the lack of parking as I pull into the final store.

So to all of those who are like me and find themselves rushing to the finish line on Christmas Eve, good luck. Now, just how many gift cards will I need to take care of everyone?