Archive through November 18, 2002
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TV ClubHouse: Archives: Shopping Days Left till Christmas.......: Archive through November 18, 2002

Jkm

Tuesday, November 12, 2002 - 09:48 am EditMoveDeleteIP
42 days left. I bought some in July, then stopped -- now I'm going holy cow! I got how long left???????

Jkm

Tuesday, November 12, 2002 - 09:49 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Correction for me -- family commitments, work, etc -- I have to be done in 37 days..... I need a bonus (ha-ha).....

Wargod

Tuesday, November 12, 2002 - 10:21 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Heh, I've been buying gifts off and on for the last couple months....mostly off. The last few paychecks I've gotten more into it and started picking up a gift for each of the kids with each check. Last week, I bought the little stuff...games and such. I'm freaking out though!

When I worked, my anniversary date was Dec. 7. That meant that either the 7th or 22nd, I'd get a check that was three weeks vacation pay, and 6 days sick pay. Was wonderful! I was usually pretty much done with the kids, but had the rest of the family and hubby to shop for. This year, I'm not going to get that. Has me literally freaking out...I did not plan for this! There's no way I'll be able to buy anything more than for my hubby and kids this year, so I'm hoping people will appreciate home made gifts, LOL!

Kaili

Tuesday, November 12, 2002 - 02:31 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Great...I have a month still before I need to start ;)

Pamy

Tuesday, November 12, 2002 - 06:46 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
You all have plenty of time to shop for Christmas, what you should really be worried about is that there are only 25 more shopping days til my bday!

Sia

Tuesday, November 12, 2002 - 11:02 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
The first Christmas after we were married, DH and I bought gifts for everyone in our extended family because it was expected. We spent way too much money, even though we had very little money to work with, as my hubby was working part-time then.

Our second Christmas, we had a newborn son and told our family we were curtailing our spending. We told the adults in the family that we were buying only for their children and not to expect gifts for themselves from us--and not to buy us anything. Those people who chose to ignore our no-gifts-for-adults rule were surprised that we stuck to the rules, but they remembered the lesson the next year.

A year or so after that Christmas, we were short on money and I asked my stepmom-in-law if she and my f-i-l would mind not exchanging gifts with us, as we were broke. She was actually relieved, as she said it was lots of pressure trying to find something we'd like.

We instituted a cookie-swap with adults a couple of years ago. We do this by couples, meaning I give my brother and his wife and my sister and her hubby a basket of home-baked cookies and they give us home-baked cookies in return. No big, expensive elaborate gifts are necessary now.

Last year we tried a gift-exchange among the children of the family. (Names can be drawn at Thanksgiving, but we just had six kids in the draw, so we assigned names.) Babies/infants aren't part of the gift exchange; everyone buys for the babies!!

Last year I asked my best friend to exchange Christmas ornaments instead of expensive gifts. There's no reason that people have to go overboard on spending for the holidays; just remembering someone is what counts, not the amount you spend.

santacat Jesus is the reason for the season!!

Jkm

Wednesday, November 13, 2002 - 05:48 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Ours gets more interesting
-- the first year we were home (hubby was in Navy) with new baby - we did all the family Christmas's.
The Saturday before Christmas - My step mom's family, the Sunday before Christmas (around 75 people)
- My Dad's family all day(around 30 people) - left for a while - went to my Mom's big family(around 75 people).

Christmas eve dh dad's family(around 22people) , Christmas night hubby's immediate family(6), Christmas day hubby's mom's family(30),
Sunday after Christmas my immediate family (8)
....somewhere in there had christmas with just my mom(5)
.... Oh yeah almost forgot the BIG Christmas gathering the weekend after new years with my dad's mom's family(100-125 or more)

Then we cut back!!! Also people have passed on and in some instances the gathering has dropped down a generation.

Now really only 4 combinations of people. One family group we bring an inexpensive or homemade man or woman gift. Put each group in piles, drawn numbers and select a gift (of course we have fun because on your turn you can "steal" a gift from someone else - then they have to draw or steal a gift again)

Another group - only those wanting to be in the gift exchange put names in at thanksgiving -- kids and adults - so you have the option of not participating at all or just the kids.

Another exchanges kid's names only

Another just enjoys the company.

Jagger

Wednesday, November 13, 2002 - 10:45 am EditMoveDeleteIP
I use to buy for the entire family, plus inlaws, outlaws, their kids, their kids kids, there parents if I happen to plan on visiting them over the holidays. It got to the point I was drastically over spending on the holidays and it took me all year to pay of the credit cards just to start over again, at one point I was buying gifts for over 100 people.

I got to the point I hated Christmas, so I finally just told everyone that my gift giving days were over, I still buy for one neice because she is my god daughter and she is still in school, but she too gets gift certificates. It has made my holidays much more enjoyable the past few years, granted I also don't get any gifts but that is OK with me.

Jkm

Wednesday, November 13, 2002 - 11:14 am EditMoveDeleteIP
I always overspend too... but I really like Christmas -- I wish I could buy/make presents for almost everybody.....

I enjoy it -- what stresses me is having the money to go shopping -- we don't have credit cards (for just such a reason) -- can't spend what you don't have.

I wish I could get my kids to make more presents -- they lose interest fast if you make more than one of something. We tried last year to make God's eyes ornaments for everyone. We'd made them in scouts and they were fun, inexpensive - yarn and craft sticks -- but after while the yarn winding got tiring for them. We ended up with about 1/2 of what we needed to be fair - maybe we'll try to make some more this year.

Kstme

Wednesday, November 13, 2002 - 11:21 am EditMoveDeleteIP
With just the three of us and virtually all our family members either deceased or states away from us, we kind of don't really do Christmas anymore. Both dh and thekid work in hotels and usually are working their seperate schedules.

For the last 4 years, we haven't put up a tree...long story, short version...lost all our handmade ornaments to some kind of bug and I've had surgeries over the last 3 years during November. We were talking about doing a tree this year but with Ollie and Maggie, we may have to wait one more year. Ollie ate the nightlight cover this morning...think what he'd do to a tree!

<edited in> We also don't really exchange gifts. Everyone always seems to just go out and get what the want/need when they want/need it. Plus...thekid ALWAYS guesses what I've gotten her!

Jkm

Wednesday, November 13, 2002 - 12:31 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Kstme if that's what your family is happy with, then that's the way it should be.

My stepmom always hated christmas - the noise, the crowds, the shopping.

I love it (to a point -- crowds bug me) We lost most of our christmas stuff to mice a couple of years ago - but have slowly tried to replace things. The whole feeling singing christmas carols gives you -- I enjoy caroling (so does my sister -- the family thinks we're nuts and humors us singing) Can't do that at hubby's family... it annoys them. It's a spiritual time for me. I'm not big into church but, for me and mine I tell the kids about the spirit of giving - taking care of others, more than yourself -- My 10 year old just ask if Santa was real (she known for a long time he isn't a real person) - so we talked about him being more a spirit of the season and how everyone has a little santa inside....

I love the candles and icicles - and snow (for a couple of days any way)

I love watching Scrooge (or Bill Murry's Scrooged) year after year -- but won't be caught watching "You'll shoot your eye out kid"

It's a wonderful life still makes me cry.....

It's the one time of year I try (not always successful) to think more about others than just myself, husband and kids.

I still choose to see the "Magic" from this time of year (yeah, I'm a ToysRus kid and I don't want to grow up).

I'm a dreamer kind of person and truely wish for peace on earth and goodwill toward men!

Wargod

Wednesday, November 13, 2002 - 01:19 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I'm with you, JKM. My family, both biological and "adopted" may drive me crazy, but I love spending the holidays with them. I also LOVE to give gifts to family and friends. Like I said this year, we're making gifts, giving pictures of the kids, and doing a little gift/coffee basket and thats about it. Nothing fancy or expensive...just something to give.

I love Christmas music, the lights and decorations, taking the kids to visit my old folks and spending time with them, watching Christmas preformances, watching the kids eyes light up Christmas morning, family dinner...it's all so much fun! And, yes, I'm a big kid too, lol!

Kstme, the first Christmas' with the kids walking...we decorated half the tree, the top half, LOL. Caleb's first Christmas he was 7 months old..we couldn't keep him away from the decorations! So, we solved the problem..stood him against the tree and made him raise his hands...everything under that height wasn't decorated, LOL. This year we're going to do the whole tree....I think both are old enough now!

Kstme

Wednesday, November 13, 2002 - 05:12 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
War...How COOL!! We put the tree IN thekid's playpen her first year! LOL

Wargod

Wednesday, November 13, 2002 - 05:30 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
LOL, last year we built a small fence around our tree and didn't put anything under it til the kids went to bed Christmas eve. Didn't keep them out long though, LOL.

Jmm

Wednesday, November 13, 2002 - 06:38 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Guys, for those of you who want to make gifts I have a couple of things that we did in the past that were inexpensive and appreciated.

One year we made a one page calendar, put the kids pictures on top and then laminated them. The grandparents loved looking at the kids whenever they checked their calendars. (You'll have to ask Dra what program he used and how he scanned the pictures. I don't have a clue.)

The other thing you can do, if the kids are a little bigger, is buy some Christmas candy molds, some package ribbon (the skinny kind you curl), some plaster of paris, and hobby paints. Tie the ribbon into circles (for hooks), put the plaster in the molds, put the "hooks" into the wet plaster and let it dry. Then cover the table w/newspaper, give the kids the paint, and let them decorate the ornaments and box them up in sets. The kids had a great time and the ornaments made great gifts that are brought out every Christmas and enjoyed. You can take a felt tip pen and write the date and kid's names on the back.

Jkm

Thursday, November 14, 2002 - 07:19 am EditMoveDeleteIP
I remember putting the tree in the play pen, too Kstme!!

The year we had the puppy we tried that too but it didn't work.

There's a trend at some of the older homes in our area -- They hang the tree upside down from the ceiling -- some have made them a permanent fixture year round and decorated more as an art piece or for the other holidays.

Side note -- had to laugh - went to Auntie Anne's field trip with the kids -- they had them watch a video about the history of pretzels -- Said over in Germany and that area -- they used to put Pretzels on top of the trees instead of angles or stars or other stuff. (according to the video pretzels were the worlds first snack food and they help stop an invasion, hunted them at easter not eggs, etc, etc -- lots of propaganda... really humorous I'm sure some of it was true but a lot was exaggerated.)

Jkm

Monday, November 18, 2002 - 05:33 am EditMoveDeleteIP
36 more shopping days (31 for me)??? I started -- keeping my eyes out for the stocking stuffer stuff you can never find if you wait too long!

Got a couple of other things too!

Snow helped ...........

Anyone brave the malls this past weekend -- I did not yet ----

Djgirl5235

Monday, November 18, 2002 - 08:23 am EditMoveDeleteIP
I had to go to the mall on Saturday for birthday gifts - WRONG IDEA!!!! I get off work by 3:30 every day and am not far from a mall, so next payday, I'll be driving to the mall closest to work and getting as much shopping done as possible!!! No more malls for me on the weekend - what a NIGHTMARE!!!! And CRANKY people?!?!?!

Wargod

Monday, November 18, 2002 - 08:45 am EditMoveDeleteIP
All I did was go to Wal-mart and Costco and it was traumatic! Did I mention I hate shopping to begin with? LOL, I did manage to pick up a stocking stuffer for my 4 year old daughter...girlie lip gloss, three tubes with a teddy bear key chain and bought them their traditional one outfit each for them. I have plans of going shopping the day after Thanksgiving....I know I'm insane, but I feel like since I've put my shopping off so long I need to do something drastic to get caught up!!! Someone slap me!

Fruitbat

Monday, November 18, 2002 - 09:19 am EditMoveDeleteIP
SLAP! Wargod, listen to granny.....do not do that. You will come home with nothing to show for your effort because you will see how long the line is.......gaze at your item and decide it is not worth the wait.

Wargod

Monday, November 18, 2002 - 09:55 am EditMoveDeleteIP
But, but, but.....dang, grannybat, you're right! I hate shopping on the best of days, and that has never sounded fun...sigh. How the heck do I catch up on all my shopping though? The deals.....oh boy, the deals!

Fruitbat

Monday, November 18, 2002 - 09:59 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Catalogs, the internet and Hickory Farms for the family members you do not care for. Gets me through every year.

Goddessatlaw

Monday, November 18, 2002 - 10:01 am EditMoveDeleteIP
I can see I'm going to have to separate you two. Walmart is to be avoided at all times except after midnight during the Xmas season and around 7:00 a.m. weekdays (nevereverever on the weekends - I always come out of there dizzy and mean what with the Barney brigade screaming up and down the aisles). Also, picking a mall which is off the beaten path but still has the good department stores always helps - Montgomery Ward, Ayres, etc. Hit those on a week night and you're in good shape. In and out in a flash. Ummm - I got nothin' else.

Wargod

Monday, November 18, 2002 - 10:07 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Sigh....are Wal-mart stopped being open 24 hours a day about 9 months ago....that was a huge blow to me since I didn't mind shopping at 1am or 6am!

Grannybat...I get Hickory Farms from my mother in law every year...should I be worried? LOL.

Fruitbat

Monday, November 18, 2002 - 10:07 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Montgomery Ward is still around, wow. I haven't heard that name in years. Where do you live Goddess?