How We Roll at Christmas

We have cut a few people off our list this year, not because we don’t still love them – it’s just not really realistic that we buy all of our friends and all of their children gifts anymore. We can’t hack it! Especially as their families continue to grow. So we are sticking to family starting this year unless we miraculously win the lottery. (And I do mean miraculously since we never remember to buy a lottery ticket.) So it kind of surprised me to realize today that even though we’ve really just started shopping – we’re pretty close to done! When your list shrinks you near the end much quicker, and that part kind of rocks. I feel like a shopping super star even though it’s totally not true.

I have two nieces and two nephews, and I have them pretty much done. I think they are done, but I might decide to get an extra small thing for each of the boys. As it stands the girls have one small present more than the boys, and I don’t want to get called on that. We’ll see if I can think of or find something they might like.

My parents get kind of “spoiled”, but just comparatively. So far I’ve got one thing that is specifically for my stepfather, and 4 things that are for the both of them (but mostly my mom… but both of them?) – I need to get a couple more gifts for each of them that are individual gifts, then I always stuff a tin full of candy (with a few lotto scratchies – the tin is their stocking) and make up a container of cookies for them, too.

For me that will pretty much leave shopping for Jeff, Dale, and Chewy. I have a few things for Jeff so I just need to decide if I’m going to get a “big item” for him, or if I should keep compiling smaller items. You’d think I would have made up my mind on that by now, eh? Dale and Chewy are easy to figure out, we’ll probably head to PetsMart, Dale’s a huge fan of jumbo rawhide bones.

As for Jeff – he’ll have to decide what he wants to do for his parents. I think he’s leaning towards gift certificates, but he’s still thinking about it. And then he’ll have to shop for me. I’m pretending I don’t know but he bought my “big gift” today. (He knows I know, we went to look at winter coats and I picked out which one I liked best – then was told to go wait in the car.)

I also still have to buy a gift for #99 on my 101 goals list: Buy and donate gifts for the (is it Toys for Tots?) tree things at a store each Christmas. (’08, ’09, ’10). Walmart today was pretty hectic so I didn’t even remember to look and see if they have one of those trees, but I’m sure at the very least they have a gift drop area set up. I’m not worried, I will definitely remember to do it before it’s too late.

… and that’s how we roll at Christmas.