Have just had the same problem with my CW494. The water had not drained out of the bottom properly. I checked for blockages in the bottom, scooped the water out by hand and tried again and the green light on the far side was flashing and bleeping.
Have you tried holding down the button above the green flashing light for a few seconds. This should reset the washer - as it did mine. I then tried a rinse cycle which seems to have worked okay. Hope this works for you....I too was thinking about all the people coming at Christmas!!!
Lisa
December 2008