No sense putting it off and getting stressed over it. I’ve started buying presents.
Based on recommendations on the Thunderbirds are go! thread, I’ve bought The Best Of The Thunderbirds for my six-year-old nephew for a Christmas present. (Yeah, he’ll probably get more; but it’s a start.)
I was talking with the ex-fiancée Saturday. We hadn’t chatted in a while, so we were on the phone for over two hours! :eek: Anyway, in the course of the conversation she told me how much she loves the REI socks I got her. (She loves comfy clothes.) She says she’s worn a couple pair of them out, since she wears them all the time. She likes their ‘wicking’ properties, and says they’re really confortable. So I went to REI Monday and bought her five more pairs for her birthday in November. I know what you’re thinking: ‘Socks as a gift? How clueless can you get?’ But she really likes that sort of thing.
So that’s it so far. Both the DVD and the socks are wrapped in colourful paper and are sitting in the box that will hold them and other gifts as I get them until it’s time to send them off.
I’m making scarves for my boyfriend’s close female relations, and I’m halfway done. As, well, when grad school starts, I won’t have time to breathe, let alone knit or crochet. Other than that, most of my Christmas and Chanakuah gifts will be bought after the 19th of December when I’m back east, so I don’t have to take them all from here. Plus New Hampshire has no sales tax.
My mother was one of those wicked women who starts Christmas shopping in January. I’ve always been a December 23rd type myself, but in the last few years I’ve been starting earlier. I actually bought some Christmas presents today - I found some great picture frames at Big Lots and since I want to give a friend of mine some pictures I took of her dog for Christmas, I went ahead and bought them. I’m so proud of myself!
I am usually close to done with XMas shopping by this time of year. However, this year some rather bad health issues have prevented me from doing much of anything. However, in another month or so, I’ll start and try to get it all done…
This is so weird–I called Hallgirl 2 yesterday to ask her what she wants for Christmas now that she’s living in the wunderland of Minot, North Dakota doncha’ know. I was thinking “shovel, extra layer of thermal undies, airline ticket home”, however, she’d like stuff for her new apartment. Before she left, she attempted to swipe several recipies from my personal cookbook, so I’m thinking I’ll put together real nice a cookbook for her.
Unfortunately for me (I know, I know - I got myself into this - it’s all my own doing) I make stuff for people for Christmas. This year I have 3 dozen gifts to make. That’s 36. I’m still trying to wrap my head around that. Cookies, preserves, candy, chutney - I’m going to spend the next three months going all Martha on the weekends.
Whereas I verbally pistol-whip people who try to combine my birthday and Christmas presents unless they spent twice the amount of money they would have. And then when their birthday comes around in April or June, I say “Oh, this is for your birthday and Christmas.”
But I’m bitter about that whole Christmas Eve birthday thing. Because of December DVD release foul-ups, I am no longer allowed to buy myself anything from Thanksgiving onward. (Several years ago, Moulin Rouge! was released on DVD on December 18–I received four copies for Christmas/Birthday, not including the one I bought myself.)
I usually start shopping in November. I’ve had so much going on this summer, I haven’t been able to look past the first week in October. I’ll probably make a lot of gifts this year mostly 'cause I’m poor, but everybody seemed to like the stuff I made last year.
I’m not a Scrooge type, and I love the Christmas season, I love giving gifts to people I love and I enjoy getting them what they want, and then seeing the joy they get of opening the gifts…but I detest shopping with every ounce of my being. I detest grocery shopping, shopping for clothes, shopping for a new car, or anything else for that matter. Shopping is NOT my thing. My husband loves me for it.
I don’t shop unless I MUST shop. Then, I know what I must buy, and I’m in and out of the store in just a few minutes. I do not hang around in stores. It makes me shudder to even think about ‘just looking’.
I suppose I’ll get the Christmas shopping done at some point, but I have no idea when I’ll even start. I’ll probably put it off as long as I possibily can!
