Already thinking about the holidays....

I know, I know...most of you are thinking I'm flippin' nuts! I mean, it's only September 16th for crying out loud!! However, for those of you who know me, and know me well, know that I am at least 50% done with my Christmas shopping. This year?!?! If I'm lucky, I've got about 10% of it accounted for already. I have no ideas as to what my husband is wanting or would like to have. Well, that's not entirely true. I'm sure if I'd ask, I'd get a comment or two, more than likely dripping in sarcasm. I think, but don't quote me here, that we'll be getting each of the kids a desk for their bedrooms. However, I'm not quite sure how we'll manage gift wrapping those, but I'm sure we'll figure out a way. Shopping for my mother in law is a piece of cake. We'll probably do a couple fun things, such as adding a piece to her ever growing collection of snowmen. She has a small bedroom designated as her "snowman" room. I am not kidding. I saw in a mail order catalog, the cutest valance with snowmen on it. Think I might order it, so she can hang it over the only window in the snowman room. She also collects teapots, which I've already gotten a really nice one from eBay. It has a fruit motif on it, and will look very nice in her fruit themed kitchen. Last year, I put together a container of household goods: trash bags, paper towels, a few household cleaners & laundry supplies, paper plates, a new candle lighter, napkins, a few Glade candles, and a couple new dish towels. You would have thought she'd just opened the most luxurious gift a woman could open. While I too, love receiving and genuinely appreciate the most practical of gifts, I would also greatly appreciated something more womanly. Something like Bath & Body Works, a new bottle of perfume, a gift card to my hair salon, etc. Anyway, in keeping with the practical side of gift giving, I think we'll do something similar to that again this year. She also loves to feed the birds in winter, so we might get her a couple 50lb. bags of bird seed. It's really up in the air at this point, and the possibilities for her are endless!! Which brings me to my mom & step-dad.....so far the only thing my mom has mentioned wanting is a pressure cooker. A pressure cooker?!?! WHAT?!!! Don't get me wrong, I would be more than thrilled to get her a pressure cooker, but I can't figure out why she wants one!! I asked and her reply was so that she can make pot roast. HELLO?!!? Isn't that what your crock pot is for?!?! That's how I make my pot roast. Anyway, I'll more than likely get her the pressure cooker, unless she comes up with something else between now and say Halloween. My mom is usually pretty easy to please. Last year, I got her gift cards to K-Mart, Kohl's, and Wal-Greens (where she gets her scripts filled). I'm sure the Kohl's gift card was used to purchase a gift for some one's birthday that came after Christmas....that's just how my mom is!! For my step-dad Tom, we usually get him a gift card to GNC, and then I put together a small bushel basket with different snacks in it: a box of microwave popcorn, a 2 liter bottle of diet coke, some beef jerky (usually homemade), old fashioned candy (root beer barrels, butterscotch disks, etc), and sometimes a gift card to Blockbuster. My sister and I have cut out buying for each other and each other's kids. It's easier this way, and much less expensive.

We are cutting WAY back this year. Not out of necessity, but simply a matter of time, and honestly, the kids do not need a bunch of stuff, that will only take up space. We've never really ever set a spending budget; we simply just shop with a few ideas, and go from there. This year, however, I am seriously considering setting aside money (cash in an envelope), that will strictly be used for Christmas. I also have rolled coins that I can cash in, at the bank, that I can use for Christmas. It's almost like finding "free" money, if you will. Between my parents, my mother in law, Brian's sister, Santa/us, and a couple of my friends, my kids are very well taken care of at Christmas (and their birthday, I might add). I mean, my parents have mentioned buying the kids a trampoline for Christmas!! How in the world, can Santa/we top that?!!? The answer is, we probably can't, and we're not even going to try. They will probably each get a couple new games for their DS systems, and the Wii, a new board game each, LEGO's for Andy, Littlest Pet Shop for Sarah, a few stocking stuffers, and hopefully a desk for their room's. That is enough for any child, if you ask me.

Anyway, this is what has been on my mind the last few days, and I'm anxious to get started. I want to get as much done ahead of time, so I'm not up until the wee hours of Christmas morning wrapping, etc. I hope to keep a detailed list of what I've bought, who it's for, and when wrapped, a description of the wrapping paper, etc. That way, I'm not stumped Christmas morning, and someone ends up opening what's supposed to be the climax of the day first, and then the rest is just sort of ho-hum! And I think by cutting way back, keeping track will be much easier for me to do. Happy Holidays!

Love & hugs!!