It's getting closer folks -that time of year, ya know. Stores are already -well, they have been for some time now -advertising for the big December event ya know.
I really hate that the stores start so early -seems like they are ready to roll with Christmas decor in August these days. Halloween wasn't even over and they were intermingling Christmas stuff with Halloween and Thanksgiving.
My blogger buddy, Suldog, hates this - all the early ads and displays and such. And as far as the stores go, I do too! Seeing -and hearing -Christmas stuff so early does nothing to help inspire me in any direction. Actually, it is more of a turn-off for me much of the time.
Too many reminders of how much I do love the season but it's the reason for the season, not the constant barrage of visuals of children with upteen toys and most of them really, really expensive ones too that turns me off completely.
I do however begin my Christmas gift list -if you want to call it that -early on. Mainly because a lot of gifts from me tend to be of the home-made variety -crafts type things that I have embroidered, knitted or crochets.
And all that is fine to a degree. I do have to start early with these projects in order to get them done. And the online craft site I deal with does start showing new Christmas crafting items early but the nice thing with doing the online thing there is that I'm not getting bombarded with all kinds of "holiday" music then too.
But even with the time needed and decisions as to what to make for this or that one, I still am often left wondering what the heck to do about my daughters! Mainly the older one as Mandy generally tells me in exact terms -i.e. what item, what store, aisle, price, size, etc., that it is she would like.
Trying to find something for my other daughter can be a lot trickier though. Finding something affordable -for openers -and that make for some unique gifts for her can pose quite a quandry at times. She can be a bit fussy now and again, plus I have no clue these days as to sizes for her so I steer clear of the clothing then much of the time.
And finding things I like that the two little ones really need, can use, would like -in a price range that would work with my budget -gets more difficult with each passing year it seems.
Maybe though, since Mandy won a gift package at the Chinese Auction at our Church Bazaar this past Saturday that included five lottery tickets and three of those five yielded winners -a free ticket, two-dollar winner and a five-dollar winner -and one of those tickets yielded another two-dollar winner too, it would appear she might be on a lucky streak and maybe when this last two-dollar winner is redeemed, it will result in her hitting the jackport.
And that my friends, would eliminate about any and all decisions of what to shop for this year then!
Don't I wish though?
11 comments:
Oh Jeni.....I hear you on the whole early advertising on tv and in the stores. Like you I do try and make some of my Christmas gifts and hence start early out sheer necessity. But for others....I do it when I feel I so desire...not because the stores tell me it is time to do it....these past few years have been very finacially tight for me and hence I had to be creative...last year it was just stockings...but you know...we had a great Christmas regardless...it was a real eye opener that it's not about the gifts...it's about being with the ones the mean the most to us.
I love Christmas...I love how it seems to bring out some Christmas spirit in some people who normally wouldn't be in the spirit...I happy smile...holding the door open for someone....sharing a meal...yeah that is what it is about....I'm not even thinking about it yet....the commercial can try all they want...but it isn't working....well at least not yet...
I love Christmas, but you are right it seems to be showing up earlier and earlier each years. Somethings just not quite right when it's 102 outside and Christmas music is playing.
I am about done with all my shopping. Try to get everything done before Thanksgiving. After that it's a madhouse out there.
Have a terrific day. :)
I only do one holiday at a time. Besides, I am too disorganized to plan that far ahead! ;-)
I wish they would hold off on the Christmas stuff, as well.
I used to make Christmas gifts but not any more.
Good luck with the lottery.
We stopped exchanging all gifts at Christmas- with the exception of the two nieces. That being said, while on vacation I did pick up something small for Mom and Dad, but more because it was something nifty than the burning desire to do Christmas shopping.
Ignore them if you'd prefer not to acknowledge it until you're ready. The retailers only have power over you if you let them.
You and I seem to have been thinking alike as my post today was very much like this one!
The thing with the retailers making Christmas so commercialized though is that even if WE ignore them, it's hard for kids to do the same and realize that the season isn't about what's under the tree but about the love and spirit of the season.
To be honest, I'm looking forward to putting up a full-size tree this year for the first time in ages (now that I have the room!) and decorating the house while even maybe making Christmas cookies this year (again something I haven't done in awhile). I'd like to recapture some of the old Christmas spirit and relive a few of the Christmases from my youth when it was family and friends that made the holiday what it was and not WalMart and Kohl's!
Yes, it seems to get earlier and earlier. I hate all this commercialisation - couldn't believe it when Santa arrived at our local garden centre in mid October.
We don't exchange presents at Christmas, not in a big way anyway. Hubby and I give each other something small that we know we each have been wanting. We spend time on letter writing and communicating with family and friends over the holidays. I think it helped us get all the pressure to give presents out of our lives when we stopped watching television. We aren't being bombarded with commercials and our life is calm and serene compared to what it was before.
I am seriously thinking about going away to a sunny island for Christmas, this year! :) Good luck hitting the jackpot and thanks for your visit and your nice comment!
I am about ready to nut up! When it comes to Christmas. I have not done a single penny of shopping (ok ok I have two things, one for Lucy and one for Doc and he knows what I got)and normally by now I am completely done! I have not put up one single Christmas decoration and normally by now I'd have started about October 1st to decorate... Lets see... did I mention we will be getting the rest of my stuff over Thanks Giving so that is one more thing to make me get further behind on decorating? Oh and Doc would rather sit on the damn computer then help me think thru decorating.
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