For those who give gifts for Christmas are you finished shopping?

2 years ago

I have really cut back on shopping over the last couple of years. I shop for my grands after getting some ideas from their parents. That is the easy shopping; just order what they want from Amazon. The little ones are easy since they really know what they want. I have two granddaughters who are 18 and 21 so they get money and the other 6 will get the toys they request. My daughters and their spouse or significant other get money and a gift or two. I exchange with my sister and that is fun for me. I love buying for her. Other than one or two exchanges with social groups I am pretty well finished. Of course we also have 5 birthdays in December and Im still working on those.

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Comments (18)

Judy Good
2 years ago
last modified: 2 years ago
I am 99% done and they are all wrapped and ready to go. Few things for stockings and that is it!
satine100
Original Author
2 years ago
You are good!
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Wow, lots of neat traditions. I find shopping for gifts wearying. I usually start in October and try to be finished by the end of November. I try to leave time in December for decorating, cookie baking and wrapping gifts. We are also away for about 9 days total in December as our kids play in 2 international junior squash tournaments and so this takes a huge chunk out of our Christmas preparation time and also means we cannot have a real tree as we are away and can't water it. We buy for our 3 kids, in-laws, our staff (about 8 people), couple of aunts and uncles, and assorted family. We have done a draw for the family in previous years so that all the adults names are put in a hat and each person then draws and only has to buy 1 gift. But this has fallen by the wayside as part of the family had moved away and sometimes comes back for Christmas and sometimes doesn't. I am more conscious now in trying to buy gifts that are useful or consumable as we all know how easy clutter comes into our homes and how difficult and time consuming it is to take it back out. Traditionally my DH and I usually buy small gifts for each other, most of which will fit in our stockings, requisite gifts are chocolate bars, socks, paperbacks, I always receive a "For Better or For Worse" comic book and the year's stamp set (Canadian), and a CD, you get the idea. We also buy lots of little things for the kids' stockings. Sometimes there may be one big gift for the family (one year it was a large screen T.V. ) and then, the other gifts will be smaller and fewer. I usually get an Odyssey set of tapes (from Focus on the Family) as one of the gifts for the kids as we do lots of driving trips and the kids like listening to them in the car. Just wrapping all the stocking gifts takes forever, but they are so much fun to open Christmas morning. Christmas Eve, the family goes to Church as our Church does not have a Christmas morning service. Then we open presents Christmas morning, have brunch and relax and then start cooking Christmas dinner late afternoon, in-laws come and another round of gift opening takes place. I really like it that we don't have to go anywhere on Christmas day, it really is quite relaxing. My DH jokes that it's the only day in the whole year when the car doesn't leave the driveway!
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I do want to clarify, that other than the weird situation that for a couple years in a row I ended up buying a gift for someone who was through the revolving door of that position in the office in short order, I really don't mind the gift giving, even then I didn't really mind it. I was just in a mood this year about those people who, through no fault of their own, I didn't really know because they did not like working there enough to stick around. If they were there at Christmas, they contributed to my gift too. What I think I am annoyed about right now, is that it really would have just been better to do exactly what I always did, which is buy the same thing for everybody at the same place, that would come in it's own box for free, and be once and done. That, rather than trying to put people in a hierarchy of more deserving or less deserving. I would have saved time and stress, and in all likelihood money, because It would have been done and I would not have been jumping through a bunch of hoops to compensate for how things have played out. The only person I resent giving a gift to is that single secretary, and Everybody does, except her/our supervisor who for whatever reason thinks she's great.
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cooper8828
2 years ago
Pretty much done. I may pick up a few small things for DH, but then again I may not. Just depends on if anything catches my eye. We have to ship everything and with the delays lately wanted to get everything sent off extra early.
Annegriet
2 years ago
Yes! I try to shop throughout year to make it easier. I've also cut back. We all have way to much stuff!
eld6161
2 years ago
I just started. Things are trickling in from my online orders.
amylou321
2 years ago
Nope nope nope. Not even CLOSE. I am way behind on everything this year. Its the 2nd and I haven't even got a tree yet! I just tonight pulled out my Christmas dishes to replace our fall stuff.

The stuff I already bought for SO for Christmas I ended up giving to him because he needed it in that moment, a new long sleeve tshirt, I got him a backpack to replace the old lunchbox he uses to carry his stuff to work, and I got him an iPad because sometimes the places where he picks up his loads hold him up for an hour or more, so I bought an iPad and added it to our phone plan so that he could play games, browse the internet or watch Amazon prime, you tube, you tube TV or the news apps on a decent size screen not on his phone. So now I have to get more stuff for him.

I have one sister who mysteriously started buying me gifts a few years ago, the other night minion at work always gets me something, as do a couple ladies in a different department. So I am working on finding all of them something. I have a good idea on what to get my sister and the othe night minion, but the 2 ladies are a bit harder. I know I will be making them each a candle but what else to get them I have no clue. I have to find cards to send 2 of my nephews their Christmas cash, and I also send them each one of those giant popcorn tins, though they will be 12 this year and so maybe they are outgrowing that, I don't know. Getting gifts for others is something I enjoy, but this year I have other things going on that are irritating me. And I have SO who keeps asking me to pick out more gifts for myself,so that is more gift shopping. So, no.
Lars
2 years ago
Yes. I don't give many gifts, and I tend to buy them throughout the year, whenever I happen to think of them or see something that I think would be a good gift. I generally end up with a surplus of gifts, and so I'm rarely behind in my shopping. I also make gifts, and I tend to make those way ahead of time as well.

So, I'm all done.
Kathsgrdn
2 years ago
Haven't done anything at all. I'm not buying a lot this year.
Zoe 29
2 years ago
Not only am i finished shopping, but i have wrapped too i need to be threatened with a supply chain break down every year
Fun2BHere
2 years ago
last modified: 2 years ago
@Zoe 29, you gave me a laugh!

I think I mentioned in another post that I send fresh wreaths to most of the people on my gift list. I order them in July. For my parents, I buy little things to fill up their stockings and all of those items have been purchased and received. I'm in the process of boxing them up for shipping. I think that does it. Next up on my list is writing, addressing and mailing Christmas cards.
aok27502
2 years ago
In DH's family, we all agreed years ago to only buy for the kids under 18. Now there is only one left. His mom sent me the Amazon link to what he wanted, it arrived the other day. Has not been wrapped.

My family is all in another state, and we haven't exchanged gifts in years.

I do want to make some things from my kitchen to share, but it's a bit early for that.
jewels_ks
2 years ago
I have bought probably about 7 gifts and have more to go. My sil is coming in to town tomorrow, spending the night and we are going shopping, lunch and a pedi.
functionthenlook
2 years ago
Everything to bought, except the stocking stuffers. I always have a mental block when it comes to those. I am a big online shopper at Christmas. How can you not love sitting in PJs finding what you want with few key strokes. I made a wreath for a grab bag for a Christmas party and I still have to sew a blanket for my granddaughter.

I did find shipping a wild ride this year. I ordered an item from Walmart and received an email from the shipper that they didn't have the item in stock and to have Walmart refund my money. Then before I got around to process a refund I got an email that it was on it's way and I received it yesterday. One item from Amazon was originally supposed to come on the December 17th, then changed to January 7th, now it's coming on Wednesday. .
Alisande
2 years ago
Assuming everything I ordered actually arrives, yes, I'm finished with my Christmas shopping. Now to think about the two family birthdays in January!
OutsidePlaying
2 years ago
No, not finished, and I need to take an inventory of the pile on my spare bedroom bed and see where I am with the shopping. I’ve been a little haphazard this year with everything going on with my volunteer gig, so I did a whole lot of Black Friday shopping and pre-BF online too. The grandkids are older now and will mostly get money. I always have things for them to open. Have not decked my halls yet except for a couple of throw pillows. That is on my list for the next few days.
Uptown Gal
2 years ago
Almost...just waiting on an order ...hopefully it will be delivered in time. And, I have two

early January Birthdays..but usually give money for those.
nicole___
2 years ago
last modified: 2 years ago
Today I opened my email and Kohls sent me a $10 reward. JC Penney's sent me a $15 reward + $20 off $50 coupon/can be used together. :0) FREE money! I'm going shopping! ♥ ♥ ♥ My husband can always use something....T-shirts, socks.....
greenshoekitty
2 years ago
I am done buying (I think) need to wrap now. just need to finish making a bed for a Panda bear. This is for a little boys birthday on sunday. I made neck scarves for the boys birthdays (10/28 11/5 and 12/7) Oh! and the most important thing ( to the last birthday boy) I need to bake a carrot cake for sunday birthday dinner. Each person picks the kind they wish for me to make.

For those who give gifts for Christmas are you finished shopping?

Comments (18)

Judy Good

satine100
Original Author

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For those who give gifts for Christmas are you finished shopping?

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satine100Original Author

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satine100
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