‘Tis the Season
This year, I started Christmas shopping really early. So early, in fact, that it is not even Thanksgiving yet and I am pretty much done. I have a few little things to pick up here and there, but basically I’m ready to go.
What I’m saying is that I have become my Mother.
My mom is a rare creature when it comes to Christmas. You know how in Whoville, the Who’s celebrated Christmas year round? And then the actual holiday season was their big blowout celebration of all their hard work that year?
My mom would have been a great Who.
You have to give Mom your Christmas list in August. And I’m not even exaggerating. Mom shops all year long for Christmas presents. I think that started when my sister and I were younger and money was tighter for my parents. She used Kmart layaway every year to buy our presents. As we grew and money became less of an issue for my parents, I think Mom’s shopping habit became more of a sport than a necessity. Now, I think she shops year round because it sometimes takes that long to find the perfect present. And Mom ALWAYS gives the perfect present.
Our house at Christmas was never short of a gift.
There was that one year when Mom got us all Bluetooth ear pieces for our cell phones and then she broke out in a lecture about how she was afraid we were all going to die in car accidents from talking on our cell phones while driving. Uh…Merry Christmas to you, too, Mom…
That was also the year that my sister, who is a total germ/clean freak, got hot pink rubber cleaning gloves. We really live it up at Christmas in my family…
And my Dad always gives my Mom Chanel perfume. Chanel No. 5. Its how my Mom smells. And its loverly.
Last year when we went home, I was about six months pregnant.
(This is what Christmas attire in Florida looks like. We played golf earlier that day and then came home and opened presents.)
And even though Beanie was still in my belly, you never would have known. He was definitely there in my parent’s house. He had presents under the tree and, of course, he had a stocking…
So, why am I telling you all about this on November 14? Well, because at my house in Connecticut, Christmas is in full swing. And to celebrate, I’m going to devote my blog this week to all things Christmas. We’ll talk about budgeting and affording gifts, about family and travel, about entertaining, about my first year as Santa Claus, about the always frustrating gift giving to the men in your life, and we’ll even have a giveaway (…or two).
So, put on your reindeer antlers and break out the fruitcake. Christmas has come early!
24 Comments
Ashley
LOVE this post 🙂 I cant wait to see everything that you come up with this week!! Hope you all are having a great weekend!!!
Sarah H.
Oh goodie!! I ordered my nativity set just in time for your week of blogging about Christmas! And that picture of The Bean’s stocking…..does he get one this year with his real name, or will he still use The Bean one? Maybe he needs two?? haha
holly your biggest fan, but not fattest.
this is the very first year that i started Christmas shopping before December. and i must say that i really like it.
i know i havent commented in ages, but for what its worth, i still love you! 🙂
Shannon
I’m very excited to read about Christmas topics all week! I don’t decorate until after Thanksgiving, but I do my Christmas shopping all year round. If I find something that seems like a good idea for someone, I buy it, even if it’s February. It’s less stressful on my “poor college student budget” that way, and I get to think about Christmas more than once a year!
Kate
GREAT idea! I absolutely love Christmas 🙂 And I agree, it IS frustrating to buy for men! I think Chris should write a post about gifting for guys, because I know I need some help!
Jordan
direct quote from my husband: “The only things I can think of to put on my christmas list this year cost $200, do you think that’s ok?”
ummm, no… He’s pretty hard to buy for(unless you want to break the bank), so I always end up going with what I want him to have more of: clothes
Katie
This is EXACTLY my problem, too! Everything Chris wants is so darn expensive! We’ll chat about it this week and hopefully we can come up with some other solutions that are a little more affordable.
Rachel
Sounds like a good week ahead!
I do my shopping all year because I much rather get things for people that I know that they will like when I see them in the shop, rather than have to force myself to buy something at the last minute!
I put all the christmas decorations up in my shop today so I’m feeling quite festive too (although we did stop short of listening to carols while we were doing it!)
Jennifer
how I love christmas decorations! I’m another one of those whose significant other would pack up and move out if I put them up before the day after thanksgiving… but I love going to the fred meyer near my house after my kiddo is in bed now and just wandering thru the Christmas aisles for a bit if my husband has to do any work at home. 🙂
Nate's Mom
I will live vicariously through you. In my family, the tree was up the day after Thanksgiving and down by New Year’s. That’s way too long in my husband’s eyes. He thinks the tree and such should be up maybe the week before. I suppose I should be grateful that it’s my husband’s only flaw….
Pam
I love reading about other people’s holiday traditions and what-not. My family was the complete opposite. The tree went up somewhere between a week before Christmas (if my mom got her way, though she wanted it up earlier) and the day before (if my dad got his way) and everything gets packed up between the day after (if my dad has his way) and February (mom’s way). I know my mom picks up gifts through out the year (and I do too – but not at the rate of you). While tradition with my dad is for he and I to start shopping at about 5pm on the 23rd and finish by 2pm on the 24th.
Personally, I can’t stand to see all the Christmas stuff before Thanksgiving (let alone Halloween, as is happening now). And it really takes me until exams are over, or rather papers are handed in, for the Christmas spirit to infect me. I think if that time of the year weren’t so stressful I would enjoy it more.
That being said, I can’t wait to see all you have to offer, maybe it will help de-stress me.
Sarah H.
Well Katie, I FINALLY did it! I started a blog! Readers, come on over and check out my first few posts! If you like Christmas, you will enjoy it 🙂
Hilary
I have become the epitome of the lazy shopper which means I purchase most of my stuff online. Last year, I realized it was much easier to buy gifts for my daughter online at Amazon so this year, I did the same. I loved shopping all from the comfort of my house, in my pj’s. Plus, I love reading the reviews that other parents leave about the different toys. Like most other posters mentioned, my hubby is always the hardest to shop for. Everything he wants, he buys (he doesn’t have much patience for waiting) so this year might be clothes although he is VERY picky. Ugh . . .
Kristin
Grandma better fill Bean’s stocking full of fun goodies!!
Casey
For years when I was little, we made a Christmas list out of the Sears catalog. I didn’t find out until I was older that it was because the only credit card my parents could get was a Sears card, and every year it took them almost all year to pay it off. The things that parents do for their children…
Oh, and I live in Florida… I LOVE Florida Christmas attire! We try to make it to the beach at some point during the day on Christmas!
Sandy
Hey, I have that same hat 🙂
EmilyC
I’ve bought a few small items but I always feel like what I’ve picked out isn’t good enough and my budget is alot smaller this year. I’ve been surfin the net trying to find some neat things to make for Christmas but everything I’ve found has been so..I don’t know…cheesy..and I’m not very talented. I can’t knit, I don’t sew, and I would probably burn my house down with a hot glue gun. I hope you have some good ideas that I can steal and maybe Chris could give some insight for us too because my husband always comes up with really expensive things he wants and I can’tafford. I would love to know what a guy would like if he can’t have what he really wants!
Kate
YAy Christmas posts! I love the Christmas season, but one thing I really need to get better at is Christmas shopping. I always intend to start early and it never happens.
Heather O.
YAY!! I can’t wait. I need so much help this year. Every year I say I am going to start early and every year I am struggling last minute.
Ginny
P.S. I got mom the Chanel perfume and its Coco Madamemoiselle (or however you spell it). I started getting it for her after Chanel No. 5 wasn’t being made anymore.
Susan Samson
This is the first year that my son (who is 2 1/2) will really get Christmas. My husband is ready to put up the tree. I want to wait until after Thanksgiving and he wants to come home early from being out of town to put it up Friday.
Zoe
Yaaaay, I love Christmas! It’s my favourite time of year. I bought my mum her Christmas pressie months ago and I really want to put up the decorations already. It’s such a fun, happy time of year. 🙂
Beanie's Nana
How about that warm and inviting Florida fireplace!
dave
Your sister is cute!