I'm glad that you got up to an 8/10! That sounds pretty impressive given your concern leading up to it.

I don't think it's a problem to have Halloween still reverberating in you after. That sounds completely healthy to me. Granted, your mind can only cover so much at one time, but it is possible to still be enjoying a holiday that passed and begin preparing for the next holiday. So take heart, you are exactly where you need to be!

As far as preparing for the next holiday, what lessons can you take from this experience to help you? Maybe you have realized how much preparation means to you? The nice thing about holidays is that they come around over and over, so you get a chance to practice again and again. If you are someone who dreads holidays, this can of course be terrible, but I know that you love holidays. So I would focus on the positive fact that you get to learn from what comes before.

Although preparation and leading up to the holiday may be important to you, don't forget to be gentle with yourself! Perfection is only out there in the world as one possibility...things can go awry but you can still get up to 10/10 (or 9/10) as far as your acceptance of the situation. So I'd suggest doing your usual planning and structuring, but also plan in some time for reflection, relaxation, and just sitting with the joy of the season. The days will pass by no matter what happens, so we'll only get a finite number of chances to strike a balance between action and enjoyment.

What are your plans for the next holiday? I'd love to hear!