When you look up from Christmas shopping, opening your presents and watching the football bowl games, you will see political contests rising up, whirling furiously for a few moments, and then over with -- as quickly as a tornado in the Dust Bowl.

When all that dust does settle, you may see that a few people in other parts of the country have selected your political party's presidential candidate for 2008.

How will it have happened so fast? In the past few days, New Hampshire has moved its primary to an even earlier January date. Here is the lightning-fast pace now set for the first few days of next year: Jan. 3: Iowa caucuses; Jan. 5: Wyoming GOP county caucuses; Jan. 8: New Hampshire primaries; Jan. 15: Michigan primaries; Jan. 19: South Carolina Republicans and Nevada primaries; Jan. 26: South Carolina Democratic primary; Jan. 29: Florida primaries; Feb. 5: approximately 22 states will hold primaries

What does all this mean for North Carolina? Well, in Chapel Hill, it means that John Edwards's presidential campaign headquarters will be shuttered and a distant memory. Or, if Edwards manages a victory in Iowa (still very possible) and leverages into a stronger showing in New Hampshire than Barack Obama, that headquarters could be buzzing and growing.

It looks more likely that when the primary tornados have passed by, only a battered Hilary Clinton will be standing on the Democratic side, which could bring another set of consequences for North Carolinians.

Some experts who keep a sharp eye on the attitudes of North Carolina voters believe that negative feelings about Clinton run so deeply here that her presence at the top of the ticket will cause a tidal wave of Republican voters to the polls next fall. These voters, the experts say, could bring about a massive Republican victory in state and local races.

They point to the 1972 elections. With an unpopular George McGovern leading their ticket, Democrats lost the governor's mansion and a U.S. Senate seat for the first time in the 20th century. It happened again, they say, in 1984, when Walter Mondale was the Democratic nominee, and the Republicans again won the races for governor and U.S. Senate. Even in the non-presidential election of 1994, when an unpopular Bill Clinton mobilized Republican voters across the country to take control of Congress, Republicans swept into control of the state House of Representatives and came within a hair of controlling the state Senate.

I disagree with the experts -- for all sorts of reasons. Times are different. The wind is blowing in the Democrats' direction. The Democrats will have a well-known candidate in the governor's race. They have well-oiled, knowledgeable campaign organizations that will be much more effective than those of earlier times.

Finally, with North Carolina and other Southern states more reliably "blue" or Republican in presidential elections, the passion to work all-out against Hilary will be harder to ignite.

On the Republican side, the strong "values" wing of the party may have to learn to live with a pro-choice candidate (Giuliani). Conservative Christians may have to find a way first to tolerate and then to enthusiastically support a candidate whose religious beliefs are heresy to them (Romney) or an actor or Baptist minister or very senior citizen.

Whatever your party leanings, enjoy the upcoming holiday season and be ready for the political tornados in January.