Holiday shopping.....has anyone started yet?

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Miss Mary

Holiday shopping.....has anyone started yet?

#1 Postby Miss Mary » Thu Oct 07, 2004 2:21 pm

Just curious.....I already had several xmas gifts purchased by this time last year. But so far, nothing has jumped out at me yet.

Next would be decorations.....I would like to take artificial roping I have and add embellishments to it (pinecones, raffia, etc.). And let's face it, now would be the time. Not early December when you're going in so many different directions. It's still packed away but I could begin a decorating frenzy if I was so inclined....

So that said, is anyone working on ornaments or craft items yet?

Or, last question, are you all not even thinking about the holiday season yet? I ask this last question, because my local Kroger store already has xmas items on sale! Crazy....

Mary
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#2 Postby alicia-w » Thu Oct 07, 2004 3:25 pm

I saw that at Walgreens the other day. Criminy! Halloween isnt even here yet! I feel pretty weird thinking about holiday shopping when I havent even carved the pumpkins yet!
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Miss Mary

#3 Postby Miss Mary » Thu Oct 07, 2004 3:45 pm

Alicia - I agree, first it was Thanksgiving that was the 'lost' holiday in the hurry to get xmas merch out on shelves. Now Halloween seems to be lost in the shuffle. Sad isn't it? Last year I was so proud to have my shopping started by now and finished up by December 1st. This year I fear I'm going to go back to my procrastinating ways.....:-(

Mary
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#4 Postby Stephanie » Thu Oct 07, 2004 4:13 pm

I have purchased a few things. If I see something I know someone would like, I'll buy it.
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#5 Postby vbhoutex » Thu Oct 07, 2004 4:58 pm

Are you kidding me????LOLOL!!!!!

Actually we do not do a lot of Christmas shopping. We started doing an ornament exchange last year since I and my daughter had been out of a job for a good part of the year. We will be able to do more this year, but do not plan to splurge as we are still catching up.
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#6 Postby MomH » Thu Oct 07, 2004 5:27 pm

I retired a couple of years ago and am living on a very very low fixed income. My children now know that the only things they get from me for Xmas are some of my drawings and family keepsakes. I do spend a very small amount on my three grandchildren but most of their presents are art work or craft things also.
Two years ago I gave the girls a booklet of family receipes they have always loved which included scanned pictures of the various family members.
Last year I made small boxes of light weight cardboard and placed in them most of the jewelry I have gathered over the years. Nothing really expensive but some very old pieces that belonged to my mother and grandmother and some pieces I had made when I was doing lapidary work. Color coded the ribbons so each girl got an equal amount of each. Dumped everything in the middle of the floor after all the other presents were opened and let them divide them among themselves. Was a fun time for all remembering when I had acquired some things and learning the history of the older pieces. A little bit of horse trading went on also.
This year it is going to be a "Mamma's Memories" book. Youngest daughter asked for it. Guess I'd better get started on it.
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#7 Postby Brent » Thu Oct 07, 2004 5:48 pm

It's WAY WAY too early. Wal-Mart here already has Christmas stuff out though. :eek:

Let's AT LEAST get through Early November. LOL
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#8 Postby SouthernWx » Thu Oct 07, 2004 6:56 pm

I've already seen some Christmas related products on the local Kroger and Wal-Mart shelves, but I usually don't begin thinking too much about holidays or holiday shopping until early November.
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#9 Postby breeze » Thu Oct 07, 2004 8:05 pm

MomH, I'm with you on that! After my Dad died
two years ago (thinking that he had my Mom
secure with his Veteran's check and TVA pension
and all....forget that!), she found herself on a
fixed income and announced that she could not
lavish everyone with gifts, anymore. Were we
worried? No! Now, the deal is - we buy the country
ham and all of the breakfast fixings (eggs, bacon,
and whatever), and she COOKS it (I help her)
and, her wonderful cooking is our Christmas
present! It's really an old-fashioned type Christmas
where we share a wonderful meal and basically
only the children get gifts, and, us grown-ups
enjoy watching the kids open gifts! And, hey -
there are alot of leftovers to take home.... ;)
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#10 Postby drudd1 » Thu Oct 07, 2004 8:18 pm

Bravo Breeze, you are living proof that there is more to Christmas than presents!
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#11 Postby Stephanie » Thu Oct 07, 2004 8:45 pm

I agree drudd! MomH - those are probably the best kind of presents to receive!
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#12 Postby tomboudreau » Thu Oct 07, 2004 10:52 pm

I work in retail now...and the big push to get every store controller, registers, scanner gun, printer, and whatever else they use is on to get them working. This is what makes working for the Help Desk so much fun. Time to shine and make this work. Going to be even more fun with the conversion of new stores taking place daily since we acquired the Gaylan's Trading Company.
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#13 Postby Yankeegirl » Fri Oct 08, 2004 3:14 pm

I havent even thought of holiday shopping... I just had 2 kids borthdays (Sept 26, and Oct 8) that was my holiday shopping!
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#14 Postby pojo » Fri Oct 08, 2004 8:14 pm

I've started for my brother and my cousin... those 2 are easy to shop for. I'm not really looking for christmas presents for them... it just happened.
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#15 Postby Persepone » Fri Oct 08, 2004 8:49 pm

I shop for holiday stuff all year--when I see something wonderful for someone (especially on sale) I buy it and put it away... That way if we lose jobs, etc. before Christmas, there is stuff something for Christmas.

I really like the idea of having some do the cooking/baking etc. as their "present." If your mother can do this, that is wonderful, but don't forget that it does not have to be a "relative."

Many years ago, my daughter was young and I was divorced and rather than have the two of staring at each over over a chicken or TV turkey dinners or something, I had a "come as you are" Thanksgiving party--I did the turkey, but everything else was sort of pot luck--and anyone/everyone was welcome. Had foreign students from local university, firemen from the fire station across the street, all sorts of people who heard about. Repeated for Christmas with a $2 present grab bag for adults and a "bring something suitable for a child grabbag (generally $1-$5). We ended up with two things: annual events (and gradually we added a 4th of July picnic) and a "family." A large family. A wonderful family. When my daughter got married, her inlaws were a little thrown by "too many grandmothers" and by the diversity of her various aunts, uncles and cousins, but they have gotten used to it by now.

And the "grab bag" tradition has worked to keep the costs down--because everyone is used to the idea of finding "perfect" presents for very little money. You do have to shop all year round to do this... So the kids also get wonderful and unique toys--but not the Toys 'R Us variety. They've gotten things like prisms, bags of magnets, handmade wooden toys, unique written-for-them (not commercially) books made on someone's computer, etc. They, in turn, have learned to make useful and interesting presents--this year they are knitting scarves, etc.

It works for us. I think that is one of the secrets. Do what feels right, what you like, and what you can afford. The interesting thing is that we began with very non-traditional ideas, and ended up with something that is very traditional... Although there are about 30 different traditions all mixed together.
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Rainband

#16 Postby Rainband » Sat Oct 09, 2004 10:36 am

breeze wrote:MomH, I'm with you on that! After my Dad died
two years ago (thinking that he had my Mom
secure with his Veteran's check and TVA pension
and all....forget that!), she found herself on a
fixed income and announced that she could not
lavish everyone with gifts, anymore. Were we
worried? No! Now, the deal is - we buy the country
ham and all of the breakfast fixings (eggs, bacon,
and whatever), and she COOKS it (I help her)
and, her wonderful cooking is our Christmas
present! It's really an old-fashioned type Christmas
where we share a wonderful meal and basically
only the children get gifts, and, us grown-ups
enjoy watching the kids open gifts! And, hey -
there are alot of leftovers to take home.... ;)
Amen. I like that idea Breeze :wink:
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Rainband

#17 Postby Rainband » Sat Oct 09, 2004 10:37 am

Persepone wrote:I shop for holiday stuff all year--when I see something wonderful for someone (especially on sale) I buy it and put it away... That way if we lose jobs, etc. before Christmas, there is stuff something for Christmas.

I really like the idea of having some do the cooking/baking etc. as their "present." If your mother can do this, that is wonderful, but don't forget that it does not have to be a "relative."

Many years ago, my daughter was young and I was divorced and rather than have the two of staring at each over over a chicken or TV turkey dinners or something, I had a "come as you are" Thanksgiving party--I did the turkey, but everything else was sort of pot luck--and anyone/everyone was welcome. Had foreign students from local university, firemen from the fire station across the street, all sorts of people who heard about. Repeated for Christmas with a $2 present grab bag for adults and a "bring something suitable for a child grabbag (generally $1-$5). We ended up with two things: annual events (and gradually we added a 4th of July picnic) and a "family." A large family. A wonderful family. When my daughter got married, her inlaws were a little thrown by "too many grandmothers" and by the diversity of her various aunts, uncles and cousins, but they have gotten used to it by now.

And the "grab bag" tradition has worked to keep the costs down--because everyone is used to the idea of finding "perfect" presents for very little money. You do have to shop all year round to do this... So the kids also get wonderful and unique toys--but not the Toys 'R Us variety. They've gotten things like prisms, bags of magnets, handmade wooden toys, unique written-for-them (not commercially) books made on someone's computer, etc. They, in turn, have learned to make useful and interesting presents--this year they are knitting scarves, etc.

It works for us. I think that is one of the secrets. Do what feels right, what you like, and what you can afford. The interesting thing is that we began with very non-traditional ideas, and ended up with something that is very traditional... Although there are about 30 different traditions all mixed together.
I like this idea too. :wink:
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Josephine96

#18 Postby Josephine96 » Sat Oct 09, 2004 10:38 am

Holiday shopping: 4 words!

DAY AFTER THANKSGIVING SALES!

I love going shopping on that day for some reason. I've gone out with the Christmas Crazies every year since I was 12. {am going to be 22 this X-mas}

There's just something about the crowds, the x-mas music that makes me not care about how busy the stores are.

This year.. I'll probably even be working so I may like it or hate it lol
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Miss Mary

#19 Postby Miss Mary » Sat Oct 09, 2004 8:09 pm

John - you are not alone, many-many people like to kick off the holiday season shopping frenzy the day after Thanksgiving. Here in Cincinnati, people go nuts that day - there are helicopter traffic reports on radio and the local news, what malls to avoid, what parking lots have spots still available. It's just nuts! Do I like to shop this day? Oh no....for years I couldn't, I worked the day after Thanksgiving. Then when I became a stay-at-home mom, my kids and I decided to decorate for xmas that day. I like to turn on the news hearing how traffic is all snarled up, while snug in my warm and toasty home. LOL

Used to be the day after Thanksgivng had unbelievable sales and if you missed that day, you really missed out. Now salesclerks tell me stores and malls run sales all thru-out the month of December, such great deals that you don't need to be out that day. I know at Kohl's that is true - just for an example, if you miss the first weekend of December's sale, just wait a week and there will be another, all before the 25th.

Mary
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#20 Postby Jack8631 » Sat Oct 09, 2004 8:54 pm

Holiday Shopping?!?! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! *Jack goes screaming into the night*
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