That platter is adorable, amylou. Congratulations on your last minute shopping. Sounds like, except for the white lights, you were very successful.

We don't buy Christmas gifts anymore, but we are waiting on two leather chairs from Norway that are apparently are being built in someone's spare time. Just kidding, but 16 weeks is a long time to wait :>)

Omygosh, if I ever buy white lights, it would ruin Christmas. I just jumped up and checked. They are multicolored,with white wire. Whew.

All this stress is so self-induced. Oh, I feel your pain and all the inconvenience, but that's exactly why we no longer buy gifts to give anyone but children, and a nice check for son and his family. I'll make cookies for neighbors. I'll have a treat for the local doggie pals of my dog. I donate to charities that help provide a holiday for the less fortunate. If someone gives me a gift, I say thank you, please excuse but we don't give presents. I shopped for the two new babies in my DIL's family. But that's it.

In return I have serenity and peace and a smile on my face for my fellow man and woman.

That is a really cute egg holder. I love your stories, Amylou. I wish you could do ALL my shopping for me! You come up with the most creative stuff! I can do it, but getting myself out the door and trying to find all that would have me in a dead panic.

You are really sweet to do what you do.

What would be "unexpected" about my Christmas shopping is if I did any!! I don't buy xmas gifts - except for my daughter but that's because the 28th is her birthday and I always gift for birthdays. But I can't afford to 'shop' for the rest of my family - it's far too big and they have what they want or can buy it easily themselves so I make something small as just a remembrance of the season to give to those I see over the holidays. Usually kitchen goodies but sometimes a Christmas themed craft, like an ornament.

Actually going to a mall or other retail outlet at this time of year is to me the stress equilvalent of having a root canal and I avoid it at all costs!! In fact, the commercialization of the holiday season and the push to buy, buy, BUY is the part of the holidays I dislike the most. Gifts from Santa for small kids is fine but the rest of it is just a big push by retailers to make money. How is that about Christmas??

I did do some serious scrambling around this week to get things done as it is tricky to fabricate many kitchen goodies when you are without power for three days less than a week before Christmas!! But I managed and other than a couple of finishing touches and the packaging I'll finish this morning, I am done.

Happy holidays, everyone!!

I keep a bag of a few small gifts, candles, cabin socks...and give those when surprised. Then I forgot when neighbors brought us a gift bag....oh well, good intentions....

The only thing I forgot, we always push to the back burner, is my sister's birthday cake. Must suck being born ON Christmas

I don't do Christmas gifts either... but usually bake something for some special friends. Not this year. Been sick, and today is the first day I felt good enough to take a shower.

That was my Christmas gift. ;)

Moni

No last minute shopping. I bought some gifts for for my mother and something for her to give her overnight caregiver. Gifts for nieces and nephews that I mailed. I did splurge on some expensive chocolates to be paired with wine for a neighbor who cooks and delivers dinner to me about once a month - for no real reason other than he likes to cook and is very good at it. In fact, he'd heard me say the dining room at my mothers assisted living closes mid day tomorrow - last night he brought over clam chowder that she loves for her dinner tomorrow night. We'll make her big meal of the day lunch, and I'd planned to do soup, crackers, ice cream in her kitchenette just so she'd have a little before bed time since we're staying in a hotel in her city and I won't have a kitchen. Problem solved. I'm feeling so lucky this morning to have such nice friends.

The little girl down the street delivered Christmas cookies yesterday, little plate of goodies that she had made herself. I thought maybe she'd outgrown the fun of that, she had skipped us last year. I have a cool Papyrus thank you card I'll send end of the week when we get back, I think she'll like it.

Cute egg platter! You sound like you know how to pick a gift! But truthfully, if my hubby ever woke me up to tell me to go buy my own gift (we don't exchange anymore), I'd say "thanks, but no thanks". I mean, what's the point? Just so you have something to open on Christmas? I don't mean to sound judgy, just curious why you feel the need to do that.

We don't exchange gifts (haven't for years), but this year I decided to do a stocking for hubby. I have loaded it with little gadgets and food items, but I want to buy some lottery tickets to put in. The problem is I haven't been able to come up with an excuse to leave the house without raising suspicion. He's going into town later to run some errands, so I may sneak into town after he leaves and hope I don't run into him while I'm there.

Cute platter, amylou!

No but apparently two gifts didn't come in for my kids. One a book, which I forgot about until I got an e-mail from Amazon saying it was on it's way today. We had a gift exchange at work and some people brought more gifts, little ones for everyone. So, I had to take a package to UPS for an Amazon return on my lunch break and I bought everyone in the office who was there that day a Starbucks coffee drink. So, I guess that was my last minute gift.

I never give gifts just because someone gave me something. A lady at work gave me a little something. She never has before. I don't feel a need to reciprocate just because she gave me something. I thanked her very much and that was it. Nor do I expect something back from someone. If I give someone something, it was because I was thinking about them, or saw something I knew they would enjoy. I give gifts "from the heart," not out of obligation because someone gave me something. I have friends who we routinely exchange a little something, but for unexpected gifts, I just thank the giver. To me, giving something in return to something unexpected cheapens the experience. "I wasn't planning on getting you anything, but here you go."

Solved the lottery tickets problem. Printed out a picture of lotto tickets and stuck it in a Christmas card as an IOU. Will put that in the stocking and call it done. When I go to town on Thursday to get my hair cut, I will pick up the tickets and it will give hubby something to look forward to later in the week.

I had a couple of things to get from Target this morning, I was at the door when they opened at 7, got my order and was out in less than 10 minutes. Then I had to go to Kohl’s to return a bunch of stuff I had ordered, the quality of their clothes sure has gone downhill. I waited to get groceries so I could go to the farmers market just down the road. It was only 7:45 and the store was already packed (not fun). On the way home I pulled into Costco to get some meat, it wasn’t advertised but they opened at 9 instead of their usual 10. I don’t think many people knew that because it was not busy at all.

Julie,it's important to him, that's why I felt the need to do it. Every Christmas and birthday. He does go get my Valentine's day stuff though. I guess because it's more of a floofy holiday. I am not sure why he feels such pressure around gifts for me, I love everything he gets for me,because he got it for me. (Well,I was a little salty about the unasked for treadmill I got for Valentine's day a few years ago, but I got over it and love that as well. And he never knew I was salty about it,as I gushed over it and he was so proud of himself for thinking of it himself) He is forever asking me what gift he got me is my favorite. It is and always will be my beloved Sammy, God rest his little furry heart.

He is still upset that none of the stuff I ordered for myself will be here for Christmas. I don't know why.

Anyway, this morning I took a short nap then went off to get stuff to get through the next few days. Cat food for the beggars, lots of diet cherry coke,some frozen meals for work and a chicken and some brats for SO to grill tommorow. I also got SO a drone with a camera on it,though not the one I wanted to get,as they were sold out of it. I managed to sneak it in and wrap it without him seeing it. I put all the presents under the tree before I left for work. I also got a cute dog stocking and filled it up with his favorite sweets: turtles, peanut mms,kit kats, life savers, stuff like that. He always says I do too much but he is so good to me all year i love to spoil him for Christmas and his birthday.

I ended up having to do some shopping on behalf of my mother who isn’t getting around so well which was a bummer as I always do my shopping very early and avoid retail establishments during the holiday.