Mystery...Romance...Sci Fi...Humor... The joy of writing fiction - meeting brand new people in places that don't yet exist.

Friday, November 12, 2010

What? It's time? Already?

Tomorrow is the official beginning to my Christmas shopping season.  This is not driven by the calendar but by a special event.  Each year all the museums in the area get together and host a museum shop sale. All the best goodies from all those different kinds of museum shops, together in one convenient location.  I always find some very special items to get my Christmas shopping off to a great start.

And then I relax because I have some shopping done early and suddenly it's three weeks later and those are still the only gifts I've bought.  Panic sets in and doesn't subside until Christmas Eve.  At least once, I will have my annual Christmas nightmare where it's Christmas Eve and the stores are closed and I don't have any presents to give.  It's my own holiday tradition.

I was on the phone with my son last week and my very efficient daughter-in-law was coming in with bags of Christmas gifts.  She will probably be done by Thanksgiving.  I never have liked her. 

How about you?  How do you approach holiday shopping?  Get it done early.  Wait until the last minute.  Start buying now and keep buying until the last minute (oh, wait - that's me).  Do you have any special shopping traditions?

Countdown to retirement and writing full time: 18 work days to go.

I'm currently enjoying: LAST TO DIE by Kate Brady.

Definition of the Day: Calories - Those little S.O.Bs that get into your wardrobe at night and sew your clothes tighter. (My closet is infested with them!!)

13 comments:

http://www.samposey.com/ said...

I am usually an early shopper, but not this year. I haven't even started yet. But I'm not worried. I have discovered Internet shopping and it has made my life so much easier. I shop on line, read the reviews for the product, order it, and get it delivered in two to three days with free shipping. No more running around from store to store looking for just the right gift for me.

Mason Canyon said...

I try every year to shop early, but it never happens for some reason. I usually shop up until a couple of days before Christmas. BTW, thanks for letting me know what's in my wardrobe. I thought the dryer was causing the problems. :)

Have a great weekend.

Mason
Thoughts in Progress

Linda Leszczuk said...

Shellie - Yeah, Internet shopping saves a lot of running around but for those people I have no ideas for, I need to walk through the stores and browse.

Linda Leszczuk said...

Mason - No matter when I start, I'm always shopping right up to the last minute. Always just one more gift to buy.

The dryer thing was simple detective work. Socks go in and don't come out all the time, so it's only logical that the pillowcase went to wherever the socks are.

Dru said...

Hey, I'm reading the same book. I read the first book in the series and I'm looking forward to reading this one.

Love your definition.

Stacy McKitrick said...

Oh Geez! Don't tell me it's that time AGAIN!

Can you tell how much I enjoy SHOPPING???

While I don't wait until the last minute to shop, I do when it comes to mailing the gifts (I can be such a procrastinator). And most of my family is too far away to visit, thus UPS and USPS get my money, too!

Maria Zannini said...

Hubby and I don't exchange gifts anymore--so that's one down.

For the neighbors I bake (Scary, I know)

For friends, I try to plan ahead. All year long, I make little notes whenever they mention something they want in conversation. Maybe I can't buy them a BMW, but I can get them a road emergency kit or a cache of goodies for their next road trip.

I avoid last minute shopping at all costs. That's scarier than my baking.

Linda Leszczuk said...

Dru - By now you've probably finished it. I've had a non-reading, non-computer Sunday (up to now when I'm about read for bed). I'll catch up and we can compare notes.

Linda Leszczuk said...

Stacy - That used to be a biggie for me too. I'd buy a gift way in advance then put off going to the Post Office or UPS until it was too late. Luckily, alomost everyone on my gift list now is local (or reasonably so).

Of course, if you use Shellie's plan and shop online, you can have them ship the gifts for you.

Linda Leszczuk said...

Damn, I must be sleepy - I have typos in both my last two comments. Dru, make that READY for bed, and Stacy, please change alomost to almost.

Linda Leszczuk said...

Maria - My hubby and I just pick something we want for the house or something we want to do and make that our present to each other. Except for the stockings. Got to fill the stockings.

But I never manage to pull off that plan ahead thing. All year long I see just the right thing for so and so or hear the perfect hint but when December rolls around...nah, I got nothing.

Now about that baking...how scary are we talking here? Will your neighbors smile graciously and then feed it to the dog or is there a haz mat team involved?

Maria Zannini said...

Ref: Will your neighbors smile graciously and then feed it to the dog...

I have a Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy when it comes to my baking. LOL.

They did eat some of my lemon squares when they were at my last party. And nobody keeled over. But maybe I was lucky that day.

Anonymous said...

Thanks as a remedy for this nice article, it's very much acclaimed blogs