Holiday

[Laura14]

I just made my lists yesterday! 

I have just as many birthdays as Christmas gifts over the next three months so I wrote down who is getting what. 

I am down to 4 small accompanying gifts for the kids for Christmas and two December birthdays that I'll tackle a little later on. 

I always plan to be done by Black Friday because then it's shopping for me time.  LOL 

[mousiegirl]

I always have my Christmas gift shopping done by October, except for DH, it is practically the last minute, lol.

I prefer to wrap several days before Christmas as I feel the ambiance much more then, and it is fun for me, beats the Christmas Eve wrapping when DD was little, and dragging everything out of a locked room to put under the tree after she was in bed and asleep, but it was so much fun.

I am going to decorate the living and dining rooms early this year, we don't use those rooms much during the year, as usually I am still working in there on Christmas Eve, so want to have everything done so I can enjoy my visit with DD instead of working around the house.

[Peaches McPhee]

No snark from me.  I also have started my Christmas shopping.  I have to take inventory to see what I have and what I have left to get.  It's all still in the shopping bags at this point . . .

(It is way more fun for me, if I don't cram it all into one month of frenzy.)

[Mominohio]

---

@rustysmom wrote:

I have bought a few items but I am so happy that I finally broke down and bought a 6ft. folding table so that I can use it as my wrapping table.  I can no longer get down on the floor to wrap gifts and in the past would have to clear a spot on the dining room table and mess up the table decor or use a tv tray table to wrap gifts.  This year I can set up new table in the family room in front of the tv and have room on one end for the paper, tape, scisors and tags and the other end for the axtual wrapping, and watxh Hallmark Christmas movies while wrapping.  I have wanted to do this for so long.  Last weekend Big Lots had a friends and family sale where everything was 20% off with your rewards card so I took advantage of it and bought a folding table.  I just know it will make it so muxh easier to wrap this year.

---

@rustysmom

This will make things much easier, and I have done the same.

Just a suggestion for others who don't want to/can't get to the floor to wrap anymore, I found our newer fat mattresses and box spring make the bed in our master bedroom almost as tall as the kitchen counter. I can now stand on the nice thick bedroom carpet, watch the tv in the bedroom and use my bed as a wrapping table. If you worry about getting the bed coverings dirty, just lay down an old sheet. 

[froggy]

---

@esmerelda wrote:

@gidgetghUgh!  I'm exhausted just reading what you've been up to!

I used to address Christmas cards on summer vaction (August).  It worked great!

With a couple of special exceptions, I'm out of the gift-giving business.

And am cutting baking down by about 90%.  

There are so many other things I'd rather do.  Well, just one...read!!

But carry on, have fun, and merry Christmas!!

---

We don't do gifts anymore either. Everyone gets cash except neignbors who get yummy baked goodies. Baking and decorating are my main holiday activities and I don't stress about much.

[RedTop]

Usually by now my shopping is done, and I’m just waiting on delivery dates.   However, I’m making a VERY big change with Christmas this year, and I’m not going to continue doing what I’ve always done.

In July, I bought the Hallmark ornament for my nephew, which has been a tradition for us for 30 years.   I do not intend to shop/buy any other gifts, period.  

My family is blessed to have everything we need and want.   My daughters have good jobs and buy whatever they want; exquisite jewelry, designer bags, guns, motorcycles, etc.  My house is full of their stuff, so at this point I’m not buying gifts for them anymore.   They will receive checks to be used for their Roth IRA accounts.

The last thing my mother needs is more useless stuff to fill her house.   I buy grocery items for her, which she appreciates much more than the usual gifts for someone over 80.   

Honest conversations with my girlfriends resulted in an agreement between us to stop gifting.   They have multiple grandchildren to buy for, and my family opted to move our holiday get together to my house, so many things contributed to the decision to do things differently this year.   

[Lilysmom]

@gidgetgh, good for you!  I am still in garden cleanup mode so the only thing I have settled is where we are going for Christmas dinner😃!

We give money at Christmas and a few hostess gifts so my job is not a big one.  I have stopped a lot of gift giving among family.  We all have what we need and at this stage of our lives, we don’t need more stuff.  We do symphony tickets, dinners, etc.  I really like these changes.  Makes the season slower paced and more enjoyable for us.  LM

[loriqvc]

@RedTop - My girlfriends and I came to a similar realization—now we gather as many of us together as possible and go out for a really nice dinner in November, enabling us to celebrate before the hubbub of the holidays sets in (and then focus more on family). We're in our third year of this approach, and the time we've enjoyed has been as good as if not better than any gift any of us has received.

[Lilysmom]

@loriqvc, it is nice isn’t it?  I am taking my best friend to see The Nutcracker with the symphony and we splurged on best seats in the house. I am taking my niece to another symphony date.  Looking forward to both!  LM

[GCR18]

Usually, I am well underway by now.  I have been dragging my feet.  I will get going soon.  Thanksgiving is the hard deadline.  Any shopping done in December will be for me.  I don't like to wait that long.  It works better if I buy a little here and there versus doing it all at once.  Plus I get better quality brands for less.