Making Your Lists and Checking Them Twice

OMGOODNESS!!!!  By all the commercials that have been running non-stop daily... AND... all the store displays... along with all the non-stop music in the air.... you would actually think this is the week of Christmas and not the week of Thanksgiving!  NOT... that I have a problem with the spirit of Christmas... NOR am I opposed to seeing and enjoying all the Christmas lights, decorations, and the sounds of Christmas.... it's just that.... my brain is trying to get ready for Thanksgiving and my check list is of all the ingredients I need to make the perfect Thanksgiving meal.... not a checklist of who has been naughty and nice.

December first is when I start getting geared up and thinking about Christmas.  One of my favorite things about December 1st is putting out all my advent calendars.  I have several advent calendars.... two that require opening a drawer to retrieve a piece of chocolate, and then turning the drawer around and it becomes a piece of a puzzle and the complete picture is revealed after the last drawer is open... two that require opening a door and finding a chocolate behind the door... one that requires adding an ornament to a tree... one that requires moving a stuffed teddy bear around a quilted wall hanging as it looks for Christmas... one that requires I take off a stocking/glove/light bulb from a wooden structure (OK.... those last 3 are my daughters... but up until this year I did participate in the wooden snowman with the stockings)... my point is.... I still look for advent calenders each year to add to my collection... you just can't have enough of those to play with.... heck.... you can't help but to wake up smiling as you wait to discover what prize or treat awaits you behind those doors and drawers or what ornament gets to be hung on the tree.  I find it amazing too how quickly the days fly by and all the treats have been discovered and the ornaments are all on the tree and Christmas Day has arrived.

I know that "Black Friday" is the day that many head out at the crack of dawn with their naught and nice list in hand and wait in line to get the best "Door Buster" deals, and prices on the hottest and trendiest gifts for their loved ones on their check list... and I must admit I have participated in the madness of Black Friday myself... but now.... I avoid the crowds and the traffic and do much of my shopping on-line.  I get deals as good or better and I don't purchase anything unless it includes free shipping.  There is definitely a certain thrill out of participating in the shopping spree of Black Friday and if you are a true shopper... it's the most fun shopping day of the year... however... I have been there, done that, got the tee shirt, and it still fits... so sleeping in, lazing around, and eating leftovers all day on Black Friday suits me much better these days.  But to those brave souls who dare to put themselves out there.... GOOD LUCK... and may you find everything on your list and may you get the best of deals!!  

I shop for Christmas all year long.... only because I am a GREAT secret keeper and can keep things hidden for months... and I actually not only remember what I bought, but also where I put it!  In fact... I have always had a "Gift Box" where I keep extra gifts on hand for those "OH POOH" moments when you need a last minute gift because someone shows up unexpectedly and you don't want them to feel left out... or when someone unexpectedly gives you a gift and you want to return the gesture.  I actually started the "Gift Box" (originally called the "Birthday Box") when the girls were young and were invited to several birthday parties a year, and it never failed that they would tell me about the party invite the night before or the afternoon in which the gift was needed.  And because money was tight and there was never much to spare, I would stock up on toys I would get on clearance after Christmas, when they were perfectly good toys and I could afford to stock the gift box.  I must say that the gift box has saved me several times from embarrassing moments both for Birthday and Christmas gifts.  I take the opportunity to buy such gifts now when the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and school children come around selling things for fundraisers for their schools... items such as candles, note cards, and such... things that I myself would enjoy but also make the perfect quick gift.  

I also buy stocking stuffers all year long.  I absolutely LOVE, LOVE, LOVE stuffing stockings and you would be amazed at the cool stuff you can find all year long that is perfect for stocking stuffers.  I try to find items that are unusual, unique, or just plain silly and fun.  You just never know what to expect to find in one of my stuffed stockings.  My Aunt and Cousins actually wrap each individual item that they put in stockings.... now that is putting true effort and time into stuffing stockings.  I thought this year I would turn this privilege over to my daughters who have all flown the nest and are making their own families.... but.... it was unanimously voted that I remain the "Stuffer of the Stockings"!!

So even tho I too am vigorously making my naughty and nice list and checking it twice... I am looking for the best deals on my gift list... I hope to do most of my shopping on-line...  only venturing out to the mall during the week, in the middle of the day while children are still in school and most folks are at work.

Let the shopping begin!!!!