Mission Monday - Winter Holidays are coming

Today is Monday, August 27.  Saturday was the 25th - aren't you glad I can read a calendar?  Sixteen weeks from Saturday is Christmas.  I THINK - don't quote me on that.  Hanukkah this year begins December 4th.  Winter Solstice is December 22nd.

That means, my friends, that we have FOUR months to get our planning and purchasing done.  Four months.  If you are paid bimonthly, you have 8 pay periods.  We have 4 in our house.

Make a list of who you need to purchase gifts for.  Who will you make cookies or treats as a gift for?  (Two sentences ended in a preposition - yuck.)  Budget out how much you will need to buy everything you want to give as gift - do you need to pare down the list?  Do you have someone on the list that is IMPOSSIBLE to buy a gift?  What gifts were dismal failures last year?  What did you hit a grand slam out of the ball field with?  (Another preposition!  Geesh.)

I know, it smacks of greed and we shouldn't be all about the presents.  You know, though, that the vast majority of us gift others.  If you don't, what about decorating, or foods? 

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Comments

[Melene]

I usually start my serious shopping right after Labor Day and I hope to have it done this year by the time my husband comes home~ around October 20th from his deployment. Which is about 8 weeks from now-then-8 more weeks till Christmas right? I hope that news makes you happy.....

[Patricia]

Not meaning to be all mean and all -- but in your part of the world 16 weeks = 2 months? Really? You might want to look into some shorter months.

However, you did just freak me out a little -- I'm traveling right before Christmas with family, so I have to be done by the 1st of December -- but worse -- I will be home for Christmas, so I still have to do the tree thing for the child.

Shoot me. Or, can I just come and hang with you guys? I'll blend in like one of the kids with less teen angst, k?

[Brandy]

This is actually kind of funny. I sat the other night and decided to make my lists, for the kids and everyone else. I also set up a budget on how much to spend on everyone and have 2.5 months to get it all done. GOOD GRIEF! Christmas is way to close!

[mcewen]

Excuse me but some of us have Halloween, Thanksgiving, a foreign wedding and three birthdays to deal with before we're even able to contemplate ideas of Christmas! And we're not even locals!
Cheers

[Deputy's Wife]

I guess I had better buy that Wii now.

[Not The Mama]

Ahh. I can't even think about Christmas yet. Luckily we are paring down a lot this year. Last year we bought for way too many people and stretched ourselves too thin. We're moving in three weeks. After that, I'll start thinking about making Christmas lists. Really, I will.

[deborah]

No stress there! I still have yet to finish back-to-school shopping, UGH!!!!!

[Emily]

Oh, Carmen.

This has been in the back of my mind for a while. We're traveling for Christmas. Worse, we're traveling separately. Me and the one-year-old will be at my in-laws' home five days before my husband gets there. Meaning I need to not only figure out all the gifts, but make sure they're easily transportable, or shipped to their home, and don't take up much space in the suitcase.

Mostly I don't want to think about it because I'm terrified of air travel. And now I have to do it with a baby. By myself.

[Esme]

Thanks for the reminder! My extended family is impossible to buy for, and I'm too broke to get them the things they'd really want, so I bake and make edible gifts for them instead. Jams, pickles, candies, etc. Less expensive for me, and they like it, but it takes me ages to get it all done. I need to get cracking!

Emily, I had to travel solo with a baby during the holidays one year. I kept gifts simple and shipped everything to them via parcel post (least expensive) about three weeks early. Then, once I was there, I cooked Christmas dinner for everyone, and I went all-out on it (I love to cook, and my in-laws were psyched to have uninterrupted baby time, so it was win-win all around).

[Katie]

I've started some Christmas present crafting (knitting, quilts) and I have a few ideas for the kids so I can keep an eye out for sales. But I really try not to think too much about Christmas until after my birthday (Sept 25th, another nice easy date to remember Christmas is only 3 months away!)

[Elizabeth]

Are you kidding me? Christmas is only EIGHT PAYCHECKS from now? Holy schnikes! I need to get a-planning!

[Carmen]

I started my shopping on Sunday. Have one person scratched off my list. YEAH ME! LOL I am planning to go see what I can find today. Wish me luck!

[Unella]

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