Christmas?

22 shopping days.

I do a lot of my Christmas shopping on line.  I hate going to the mall and I'm not crazy about crowds either.  You couldn't have paid me to shop during Black Friday!     But shopping on line is quite easy.  My adult children are sent their gifts and I give them the opportunity to wrap them, too!  I tell them not to open the shipping box...just wrap it...and they do.  I used to order the stuff, pay for S&H, when it arrived I would wrap it, and then have to pay to ship it to them.  Nuts, huh?  I finally got smart! 

 

Sherrine

I'm with you, Sherrine! It's great not to have to fight traffic and the crowds and long waiting lines.

I don't like mall either. I actually don't like to shop. He loves to shop, I don't. But we don't know yet if he can get leave for Christmas. He just deployed, left last week.

Myself, I take it you don't have children? I biologically don't, but have 3 kids of heart. One of my best friends is a single father of three, the oldest being special needs. I usually have the kids part time, and love to have them with me. You are going to laugh what happened the year before last year, we actually couldn't afford Christmas and neither could my friend or his mother, so the kids weren't to get a thing. A week before Christmas I received a two hundred dollar check out of the blue, in the memo saying "Christmas." I looked at the check to see who it came from, it was my church. I had not told anyone how bad the year was, and how the kids wouldn't received presents yet I had this check. It was a true miracle, God working in others. Someone thought I could use the money, and I checked to make sure before I deposited it was actually for me. I then told them how the kids wouldn't have had Christmas if it wasn't for the money. I made it a very special Christmas for the children with the extra money. We took a mini vacation (two night) hotel stay that is 100 miles away , the city the zoo is in. Of course, we took a trip to the zoo. The hotel staff worked with me for Santa coming, and watched them sleep as I slipped out with three pieces of luggage and put presents under the tree by the reception desk. Another staff watched the presents while I went for the kids. They were awake and dressed by the time I got back, and they asked where I was and I said "I checked to see if Santa came." They got all excited and asked if he did... and I said "yes, lets go see what Santa got us" and they were so excited. It was seriously like a scene out of Scrooge how Little Tim was so excited. The kids had so much excitement, to where other people would crowd around and just watch the kids and smile. The kids yelling "look what Santa got me!" . On the way home, I arranged a special thing for them... they had their first train trip home.

I'm hoping to provide that same excitement again

We are starting our Christmas shopping on Saturday and purchasing our Christmas tree.

Myself, I love what you do. You know, you would be perfect on helping with a project I do with another person. There is an unit, with k9s deployed into Afghanistan. They contacted us wishing for Christmas presents, including for their furry friends. The group is called Furry Soldiers, we support both two and four legged soldiers. I became an active military supporter after I accepted the deaths of our two and four legged soldiers. I realized a year later after we laid them to rest if Kory and Cooper were alive of what they would do, and I know within my heart and soul if they be alive they would support their comrades. It is not even a question. So I stuck my ARMY shirt on for old time sake and became an active military supporter. I met the one that started Furry Soldiers because it touched my heart. I will support two and four legged, but I also help Furry Soldiers any time I can, as they specifically give me peace, and a way to touch the soldiers on a special level, through sacrifices as she assigns me with groups from Kory and Cooper's unit. It is a way to support soldiers, and honour my personal heroes, which is why I've done it for wow, four years now. I sure keep my heroes alive in my heart. If you are interested in also sending packages of treats and toys contact me at what did u say at gmail dot com (all one one and of course @ for at)

The hubby and I went to WalMart and Kmart in October and put 90% of the girls Christmas on lay-away. :) Cheesey as it sounds, it's been a life saver for us the past few years. I don't have to hide gifts *little stinkers always seem to find them* LOL The stores are in the same town that my family lives in, so I get everything picked up the same day (I'm doing it this weekend) and take the load to my grandparents house to wrap it all up. Then I bring home wrapped up gifts! And my grandparents always have funky boxes I can use to disguise things. Ohhh yea, this momma is sneaky! The rest of their gifts (and everyone else I buy for) I did online.