The "C" Word
 

Last weekend I bought the first official Christmas presents of the year. :eek:

That is some serious planning. I prefer to wait until I have very little time left and I have already spent all the dough on the wife and chirens. Also, if I wait long enough, the "what I really want" presents have been purchased by other family members so I am stuck racking my brain as to what sort of crap I can get the intended recipient that will not completely make me look like an ass. Typically, I fail miserably.

That is just my method though. Very well thought out.

I just happened to spot things that were on sale.

I usually don't do too much ahead of time--I tend to panic and think I don't have enough, and then spend more money than if I waited until the last few months.

I don't buy them this far in advance, but I do start planning. I have lists growing for each family member. If only I could be this good about birthdays.

yep. I keep the lists from previous years on my computer, and make a note of ideas, and things actually given. That way, the ideas are still there.

Gonna put my list on Google Docs this year for easy access!

A list? That is crazy. This is how it goes for me:

phone ringing for brother

Brother:"what's going on, man?" (caller id told him it was me)

Me:"hey, what do you want for Christmas?"

Brother:"Are you just now getting started? I bet (your wife) already has most of it done and now you are down to the ones she makes you buy. Am I right?"

Me:"Sure. What do you want?"

Brother:"I don't a clue."

Me:"You are a lot of help. You might be getting socks."

silence

Brother:"OK. By the way, what do you want?"

Me:click of phone hanging up

Brother (although I cannot hear him):"Prick. He is getting something his wife would rather have."

:p men have it so easy at Christmas; they don't realize all the planning, shopping, cooking, cleaning, wrapping, decorating and more cooking a lot of women do.

6 mos ahead is not too early, if you have a big family.

Shouldn't that be the 'X' word, as in X-mas?

Since you brought it up, you can get me just about any DVD that I don't have, bicycle accessories, camping gear - I'm really not that hard to buy for. And I'll give you a shipping address when you're ready.

P.S. This isn't aimed specifically at Cloud; I'll accept gifts from anyone in the Cellar.

Careful what you wish for.......

X or C -- Christmas shopping is not ecstasy.

P.S. @ HLJ -- you WISH!

Yeah...you might get a bad case of crabs or something. :D

That reminds me...why don't we do CMEP anymore?

CMEP?

We still do dont we?

Anyways, regarding Christmas...

I have given up buying early, because by Christmas time....I end up with soooo much stuff I have to hold some over to Birthdays and then they are out of *date*.

So, now I just have a list (usually in my head) of what I need to get and start getting organised around October/November.

The boys Grandmother (from MI), she shops all year round for Xmas gifts...using coupons and rebates etc. Usually, we get 5 HUGE boxes of gifts shipped over via boat (so they have to leave October) that only cost her a couple of hundred of dollars.

Awesome :)

CMEP?