Ugh! I'm Not Ready and I Don't Even Want to Think About......

oh I get it!!! I vented about this last year on here!!

It was HORRIBLE - IT IS HORRIBLE!!! It was August and Christmas trees were going up BEFORE Halloween decorations!! WHAT???

I've got a lot of my shopping done...I buy things throughout the year and put them in a box...this year will be a little tight again - but we focus on what Christmas is about and not the amount of gifts given.

I'm a bit of both. I start hoarding stuff in Jan then set it aside (once the sales are gone) til July and then start really looking for stuff Sept and am still usually ordering a thing or two in late December because my stepkids never seem to get ideas to me earlier than December, no matter how soon I ask. Tell her you'll think about it after Halloween.

I have a ton of birthdays to get through before I really hunker down on Christmas. And then, because I don't want it to just be gimmies, I also try to get something for the Angel Tree and that's never up before Thanksgiving.

Amazon Prime is my DH's best friend this time of year.

After dealing with a divorce, a death, and a family member in rehab this year, I'm making holiday shopping easy on myself. Adults are getting restaurant gift cards, kids are getting GameStop or iTunes cards.

I like to do my gift shopping over a few months because we have so many holidays and birthdays and such during the second half of the year that I can't do it all at once. But I would much rather not see all the themey decorative stuff up in stores until the other holidays are out of the way first.

I know. I get annoyed when they have christmas stuff put out before thanksgiving! I would like to enjoy each holiday without pressure about the next one. :) I used to get all my shopping done before Oct. 1st. But now with kids, I do it through out the year but mostly about 4-5 weeks before christmas.We also have scaled down and don't buy a whole lot so its not hard to get it all done in one day if I had to.

You know what? Last year, I got most of my Christmas shopping done early. Some of the best sales were before Thanksgiving. Once I was done with the shopping, I got to sit back, relax, and actually enjoy the season for what it is supposed to be -- a time for sharing and caring. And to celebrate the birth of Christ.

I have stopped trying to buy the perfect gift for everyone. I put a lot of thought into all of the gifts I give, but I try not to get too stressed out about what to get for the person who has everything.

I don't like all of the Christmas stuff being out already, but I do enjoy all the early sales.

I am so with you! I am so happy to just enjoy fall thank you very much! I don't mind getting some shopping done, but well I never have it done until late November actually, but I don't want to think about or focus on Christmas yet. I am planning my baby's early Nov. bday and I have had a flicker of a thought about thanksgiving like once, I just want to enjoy the new crisp air in peace!

I know. It's absolutely gotten out of hand.
I looked down the aisle of a store the other day and saw, summer items,
Halloween, Thanksgiving AND Christmas! Are you kidding me?

The unfortunate thing about being hit over the head w/the "way too early
Christmas barrage" is that it ruins & desensitizes it for everyone.

I try to tackle one holiday at a time keeping the current holiday only on my mind.

I DO buy things as I go along now that I have kids as I find them on sale.
I hide them.
I try to take advantage of sales & clearance as I need to save $ being a SAHM etc.

I do not like Christmas music being played in stores early.
I don't put out ornaments, decorations until it's
actually the season.

I don't let the stores dictate my holidays.

I am an early shopper now w/a hint of last min shopping when needed (you forget someone, you get a gift from someone unexpectedly).

If you do a little Christmas shopping all year round, there is NO pressure or crunch time between now and December and no massive debt because you bought/paid for everything a little bit at a time,
(The hardest part is remembering where you hid it all.)
Then you can sit back and enjoy yourself while the rest of the world runs around like chickens with their heads cut off between Thanksgiving and Dec 25th.
Last year I had my Christmas cards in the mail the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.
It was so GOOD not to have that hanging over my head!

The earliest I ever saw a Christmas display put up was a Hallmark store in a mall (this was about 10 years ago).
They set up their display right after 4th of July.

I DO love Christmas. However Christmas every FIVE years, instead of every year would be ok with me!

Still, ready or not, Here It Comes.

:(

I used to be last minute, then I joined Flylady.net and decided to try the "Cruising Through The Holidays" prep, which means DONE by the end of November. I never get totally done by then, but I do get a lot done. We also celebrate Hanukkah as well and actually do a Hanukkah gift exchange with my husband's extended family on Thanksgiving, so that forces me to start thinking about things early.

The wake up call for me was that a few years ago, I was wrapping presents in the wee hours of 12/24. They were all stashed in our basement. As I was in my kitchen finishing up the last batch, I smelled something foul - my septic system had backed up black water into my basement. Had a I waited a few more hours, many of the presents would have been contaminated. As it was, I spent all night cleaning up that mess (we were having company for Christmas Eve and needed to get the stink out of the house), ran around like a lunatic the next day doing last-minute prep on two hours of sleep and was miserable. Too close of a call for me - now I shop early, wrap early, and store things in the attic enclosed in contractor garbage bags or rubbermaid totes in case, God forbid, the roof leaks.

My goal is to have everything purchased by the end of November, decorate and mail cards the day after Thanksgiving, get homemade gifts out to teachers the first week of December, and then in December I can actually relax and attend holiday parties, host Hanukkah & Christmas Eve with some measure of grace and ease, do fun things with the kids, etc. The thought of going into December without everything planned and most things purchased gives me heart palpitations.

Ugh. Don't remind me.

My son's birthday is in december( beginning of month), and it's right after Thanksgiving. So, I try to do his shopping in November, and get his all set for his Birthday and Christmas.

I shop on-line. I loathe going to stores to shop. It's hectic, maddening, and parking is horrendous.

I get annoyed with people who ask for lists way to early. Of course, with my son, I understand, as people often want to buy his stuff first, and usually, I have to make a list before Halloween for them. He's got a ton of family members who dote on him. It can get out of hand.

I shop all year round, but usually buy after Thanksgiving for the majority.

I think Thanksgiving and Halloween are so rushed. I don't really have any time to enjoy them because of Christmas being right around the corner..It seems to get shorter every year. Not to mention EXPENSIVE!

my husband has taken the joy out of every single holiday for me. I am totally last minute shopper because I dont want to deal with all the negativity. I dont even decorate anymore, and I dread any invitations to any parties. Holidays are not Holiday's for me. I am sure the kids are missing out. Sorry not much of a happy spirit today.

I think about Xmas TWICE a year, and that's it.

(On or) AFTER thanksgiving, and in the summer.

I'm more than happy to end out wish lists in the summer for those who shop early. If they're shopping 'in the season', they can have a list emailed to them by Black Friday.

From Sept - Nov my brain turns off. I'm sorry, but I'm only capable of so much multitasking.

I am a last minute shopper mostly but it really depends on my mood and how much stuff I have going on. I was in Kohls about 3 weeks ago, and they had a whole bunch of Christmas stuff up, lots of trees decorated and everything!! And yes just the other day I started seeing that Target commercial too. It is too early!! When will the Christmas music start on the radios now? I remember a few years back they started playing it on Halloween day!!

I can't think about Christmas yet either. Yesterday was my daughter's birthday and my son's birthday is Nov. 14. So, I have to get through those first before I can even think about Christmas.

Every year I say I'm going to be an early shopper.... Ya right! I do try to do that but most of the time I end up being the last minute type of shopper.

Would you hate me if I told you that I am already finished shopping and most things are already wrapped and tagged?

I start shopping the clearance items the day after Christmas. You really save a TON of money on clearance items. One example, the animated Belle doll that reads your child a story was $130 last year. I picked up 5 of them on clearance last january for either $6 or $8, I can't remember exactly which one it was but my husband and I were thrilled. I have one for each of our girls and our 3 nieces. I also got our nephew one of those huge remote control monster trucks for $10.

I try to get a bunch of clearance items and then throughout the year pick up other items I know my girls want. If you wrap as you go then you are not stuck wrapping a ton of gifts for everyone at the last minute. My back can not take sitting in one position wrapping for hours so a few at a time works for me. Then I box them up and put them in our storage room.

If there is a really good deal on something on black friday I may venture out for it but other than that I avoid stores during the holiday season because people tend to be overly stressed which leads them to be extremely RUDE!
People get so caught up in their never ending "to do" lists that they forget to breath, relax, and celebrate the real meaning of the holiday.

I much prefer having everything done ahead of time so we can really relax and enjoy each other while making Christmas tradition memories with the girls. I want them to remember baking cookies, making candy, wandering around looking at lights, caroling, making ornaments and crafts for gifts, etc.

Of course it's much easier for me to do all this now while my kids are only 6 and 2. Their wants are much different then a fickle tween that changes her "must haves" every few weeks...lol. Pretty much if my girls say they would like to have so and so someday...I know it's a safe bet.

Peace and Blessings,
T. B

I start my shopping the day after Thanksgiving, that's when all the good sales start anyways. This year, I have started a wish list on amazon.com just because I'll think of something I want to get for the kids and to help me remember it, I put it on amazon. I also HATE to store things, so I'd much rather just buy the presents and then be able to give them away soon after.

I'm right there w/ you I have decided not to go crazy trying to buy the gift I think his nieces want or my nephews want or parents & In-laws i'm going the easy way out in and out short and sweet =GIFT CARDS all around & for my kids they don't need new toys heck the ones they got last year will be going into the garage sale next Spring (unable to of had one this yr due to newborn in the house)So they will be getting new bikes clothing some room decor for the girls,& a tablet to share my tree will be looking bare this year but my pocket will too

Ugh, I hate how it's all out already in the stores. But I do start picking things up as early as april. When I see something that I think ooohhh so/so would just love that. I get it then, but I wait for the kids christmas list before I fill their want list. Which can NOT be given to me until after thanksgiving. Anoher thing I started doing is puchasing all holiday items such as decorations, wrapping paper ect. The day after that holiday 50 to 70% off. My little way of saying to the Merchants YOU START WAY TO EARLY. SO I'll shop late and save money. I put it away till the following year then I think HAHA I saved $$$$ and still have new items.