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Honored Contributor
Posts: 12,889
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

How's everyone coming along on shopping, etc?

I mailed our out of town packages last week to 4 people.  I had them ready to go and I wanted to get them out of here before the rush starts.  I'm happy to have that done.  I usually mail them the week of Thanksgiving but I had them ready and they're doing construction.....endless road work...... on the road in front of the post office and it's a mess.  I wanted to have that done with, so I sent them early.  Pressure's off, LOL.

 

I've wrapped all the gifts I've bought so far.  I still need to shop for my niece and nephews, which I'll do on Black Friday and my brother in law.  Oh, also my husband's 6 year old grandson.  We were waiting to see what he gets for his birthday which is coming up very soon.  And then my daughter in law will give me ideas for him.  And then I'll be done.

 

I have our cards addressed and stamped.  I just have to sign them when it gets closer to mail time.  I mail them on the 10th.


Why is it, when I have a 50/50 guess at something, I'm always 100% wrong?
Respected Contributor
Posts: 2,052
Registered: ‎08-25-2010

Re: How's everyone coming along on shopping, etc?

I’m making good progress, but just realized I may not have a few family presents to take with us at Thanksgiving. I ordered these from Zulily and should have paid more attention to the estimated delivery date. I’ll get them wrapped and into the mail as soon as I get them. I don’t usually send Christmas cards out these days unless I have a serious lull in my baking and other Christmas activities. 

Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 5,574
Registered: ‎06-19-2010

Re: How's everyone coming along on shopping, etc?

Done. We stopped buying gifts for each other a few years ago and put the money instead into improvements around the house. We don’t have any kids or grandkids. No family to buy for since they only communicate with us once a year anyway. We stopped buying for friends and go to a nice dinner instead. We only have one gift card to get and that is for our hairdresser and that comes from Costco. 

Respected Contributor
Posts: 3,580
Registered: ‎06-03-2010

Re: How's everyone coming along on shopping, etc?

@Meowingkitty  I'm pretty much done and never started.  The only gifts I will need to get is to transfer some money into the grandkids accounts (they are both under 2), and get them a small gift.

 

My DIL's family will go overboard with the gifts for them, so I prefer to build up their savings accounts. 

 

I can't tell you how much pressure is off now that my family doesn't get each other gifts, especially for my elderly parents, who don't like to shop, and don't have a computer (and buy whatever they need or want themselves).  My mother says this is the best thing we did for the holidays a few years back. 

 

However, we all buy a gift for ourselves, wrap it, and bring it to the family dinner so we all still open a gift (and get exactly what we want).  This year I"m getting a Barefoot Dreams cardigan - can't wait for it to arrive!

 

For those out shopping and mailing gifts already, kudos to you.  I remember how much work it is to plan a dinner, decorate the house, both inside and outside, and pick out and wrap the perfect gifts. 

 

It's just too stressful anymore for my family with most of us working full time through the holidays right up to Christmas Eve.



......You look like I need a drink.....
Honored Contributor
Posts: 30,916
Registered: ‎05-10-2010

Re: How's everyone coming along on shopping, etc?

       No, Christmas is not a chore for me, it's a joy and I don't rush it along, I savor it.  It only comes once a year.   I'm in Thanksgiving mode now.  That's a major family holiday for us.    I have purchased a few gifts, I have more to buy but I have plenty of time since it's only 11/11.  We only have two friends who live overseas but they are in the UK so as long as I get their gifts out by 12/1, they'll get them in plenty of time.  My inlaws are up in ME so that 12/1 date works for them too.    I go into Christmas mode the day after Thanksgiving.  I like to put the tree up and decorations out, bring out the music and then wrap my the gifts.  I don't want to start this early and then be "done" with it because what will I do when the season actually comes?  It's the same with those Hallmark Christmas movies, I watch 2 or 3 during the season but I wait because if I watch them too early, I just deprive myself of a Christmas treat.  

Respected Contributor
Posts: 3,893
Registered: ‎03-12-2010

Re: How's everyone coming along on shopping, etc?

Most of what I purchase gets dropshipped to my mother's house in another state.  I wrap everything when we arrive there before Christmas.  I have a few gifts for local friends.  I plan to get those out and wrapped this week.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 24,685
Registered: ‎07-21-2011

Re: How's everyone coming along on shopping, etc?

You sure are a go getter.  Good for you.  I have not purchased one gift but then I only exchange gifts with two friends.  

kindness is strength
Honored Contributor
Posts: 15,522
Registered: ‎09-01-2010

Re: How's everyone coming along on shopping, etc?

I have the one gift I ordered in July for my nephew, but am  holding firm to my NO shopping decision this year.   

 

Too much effort was put into moving stuff OUT of this house this year, and Christmas buying was how a lot of stuff came into this house.   Any personal or household item you can name, I assure you my husband and I have enough of it already and don’t want more.   After my daughters were forced to deal with all their stored items, their buying habits have changed and we have far less deliveries- -all good.  

 

I am excited about enjoying a completely stress free Christmas with my family.   

Honored Contributor
Posts: 20,019
Registered: ‎08-08-2010

Re: How's everyone coming along on shopping, etc?

I very much hate, and have gone in kicking and screaming to the 'not buying' crowd this year (for the most part). 

 

We stopped exchanging with my brother's family years ago and that was fine with me. 

 

But for several years my mom has wanted to stop with her adult grand kids, and her son/daughter in laws, but still wanted to buy for my brother and me. 

 

I pretty much convinced her that she cannot do that, buy for us and neglect the rest of the family, so I agreed to stop buying for her so she would stop buying for everyone (and not just some). It really is taxing on her finances, and she does't really get on with many she was buying for, and was not receiving gifts in return from many of them, so for her, it really is the right thing to do.

 

The only other people I usually buy for were my husband and son. Dropping the husband totally, as he has never been into the gift exchanging (wasn't raised with it) and was a very reluctant participant, either not buying for me at all, or missing the mark so far is was a total waste of his time and money. 

 

Still undecided about son. He is 22 and on his own. Has a very small house and is right now, a little hard to buy for. For his birthday, he needed new eyeglasses so I paid for two new pair and the Dr's exam. I may come up with something very practical like that for him, but I'm not sure. 

 

I have two cousins I usually buy something small for, but we have really drifted away some this year, and unsure if we will be getting together or not. 

 

I'm considering still doing my baking for the holiday which consists of about 7 kinds of cookies and 7 kinds of candies. If I do, I will be scaling back immensely. I usually give large tins of mixed treats to several friends, my mom, brother, son and have some here for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year's Eve. I know they are well received (expected and enjoyed), so I may still do that.

 

I used to make multiple batches of each kind, but will scale back to one batch (some things the batch cut in half or more, like my Buckeye recipe), and everyone will get a more moderate amount, several people being eliminated entirely from the list.

 

We don't usually have a big meal on Christmas. We go out on Christmas Eve usually, then Christmas day is pretty low key and we eat sweets in the morning while opening presents (well, I guess there won't be any of that this year!) and something easy or made ahead in the middle of the day.

 

But like I said, I'm going in kicking and screaming (silently inside, not letting anyone else know ) at these holiday changes. I don't want them. I don't like them. I want it the way it was. But I'm the only one that does, and I won't be 'that one' that makes everyone else miserable when I'm the only one wanting something that the rest of them are ready to let go of. 

 

I loved the shopping, choosing gifts, wrapping (Oh I love wrapping), decorating, baking etc. But the family dynamics just seem to not warrant it anymore. There is a combination of strife (not anymore than is 'normal'), loss of family members, and lack of interest in the others that used to participate, so I'll be going along with what the majority wants. 

 

We have been slowly scaling back, especially on the gifting (but on all of it really), for a number of years, so you think I would have known this was coming and indeed it was no surprise, but I'm not happy about it. But like I always tell my kid, "It isn't all about you". I will heed my own advice! LOL

Honored Contributor
Posts: 14,091
Registered: ‎01-02-2011

Re: How's everyone coming along on shopping, etc?

Since young children often change their minds on what they want, I will wait until December to buy the grandchildren’s gifts.  

 

Otherwise, I will pick up a few girly items for my one DIL’s stocking as she goes out of her way to entertain us at Christmas and insists on filling stockings for us.