Shopping Season

[PrincessFiona60]

There is absolutely nothing I have seen here at DC that would even hint at your being a heartless beast. I'll get back to you on the rest.

I was suggesting BT's clothing could be used for tents.

Call out for Omar the tent maker!!! He did my fall selection...

 

[Andy M.]

Andy, you sound like my dh. Before I came along he only bought gifts for the kids who lived in the house at the time. All of the other kids got large navel oranges, one each. When we were going together each year I got a box of chocolate covered cherries. Which would have been lovely except for one thing....I hate chocolate covered cherries!. There are times when I would love to get back to the navel orange thing but then December rolls around and I am antsy to wrap gifts. But as I said before we are scaling this thing back.

Of all the everyday tasks in life, I hate shopping most of all. Not meant to include groceries. I'd rather clean the bathroom but don't tell anyone.

 

[babetoo]

have eight out of oops nine out of: twelve people. have an idea about the ones remaining. i do most all of my holiday shopping on line. hate all the hustle and bustle of the stores. lots at walmart on line. they never fail me.

did some shopping yesterday, fabric store for one gift. wore me out, now i remember why i don't go shopping during the holidays. bought a quilt top for newest great granddaughter. will make into quilt for crib. only have one gift left and it will be a gift card to my grandson's favorite chicken place. it is in another town. (not far from here) tried to order on line but no go. so to the chicken place next week. lunch there and pick up card. they do have a on line site. purchased a little stuffed cow, has little sign that says" eat more chicken" will put card around his neck. then am done, done, done. bought gift bags and that is next step.

 

[Claire]

I absolutely appalled people who didn't know me at a party I went to when on a road trip early this month. Seriously. I pretty much gave up gift-giving a few years ago, when I found myself wandering around a mall in Louisiana, looking for presents for nieces and nephews, sisters and BILs, all of whom wanted expensive electronics I couldn't afford (and would not know which and what to buy anyway), or cash (I wonder if we could all sit in a circle, grab a $50 bill and hand it to the next person). That year we were traveling in a trailer and had parked it next to a family who had ... well, nothing. The kids were not in school, even, though the boys were bright. Husband asked if he could buy the boys some toys. Of Course. We also had "grown" (haha) and had some like new clothes that no longer fit. We outfitted the parents and bought the boys some toys. The woman's parents, who had shunned her for some reason, showed up, shamed (all of these people had been upper-middle-class, she had fallen on hard times) and by the time we left the camp site, the boys were in school and their grandparents were treating them as they should have been all along. The grandfather actually talked to us, thanking us for shaming them into being the supportive parents they should have been. It was probably the most gratifying holiday season ever. Since that year, we no longer buy much in the way of gifts. I send a "care" package of fancy foods for my entire family to enjoy rather than buy individual ones, and send it off. My husband and I get a list of what one single-parent, suffering family, needs, and we hit Wally World and buy each on the list a clothing item and a toy (and usually something nice for the Mom). We host a party and ask everyone to bring something for the local food bank. After 30 years together, we really don't much buy for each other, which is what absolutely appalls some friends. But I make jewelry, and he knows what he wants and buys it. So my shopping will start when my favorite publican posts her lists of needy families and hubby and I start shopping for them.

 

[buckytom]

lol andy!!! now i just need to pick up some poles and stakes.

ok, so i bought the first gift for this year, a "night fury" dragon for my boy. he's really into the movie "how to train your dragon", so i'm picturing a lot of viking and dragon stuff this year.

and more nerf gun stuff. i love nerf guns.

wish me luck. we're stopping by toy-r-us and the mall later so dw and my boy can make up a list for santa.

i need to find some perfume for dw from burberry. so far that's all she's mentioned.

or maybe it smells like burberry. i don't know.

help...

 

[PrincessFiona60]

I absolutely appalled people who didn't know me at a party I went to when on a road trip early this month. Seriously. I pretty much gave up gift-giving a few years ago, when I found myself wandering around a mall in Louisiana, looking for presents for nieces and nephews, sisters and BILs, all of whom wanted expensive electronics I couldn't afford (and would not know which and what to buy anyway), or cash (I wonder if we could all sit in a circle, grab a $50 bill and hand it to the next person). That year we were traveling in a trailer and had parked it next to a family who had ... well, nothing. The kids were not in school, even, though the boys were bright. Husband asked if he could buy the boys some toys. Of Course. We also had "grown" (haha) and had some like new clothes that no longer fit. We outfitted the parents and bought the boys some toys. The woman's parents, who had shunned her for some reason, showed up, shamed (all of these people had been upper-middle-class, she had fallen on hard times) and by the time we left the camp site, the boys were in school and their grandparents were treating them as they should have been all along. The grandfather actually talked to us, thanking us for shaming them into being the supportive parents they should have been. It was probably the most gratifying holiday season ever. Since that year, we no longer buy much in the way of gifts. I send a "care" package of fancy foods for my entire family to enjoy rather than buy individual ones, and send it off. My husband and I get a list of what one single-parent, suffering family, needs, and we hit Wally World and buy each on the list a clothing item and a toy (and usually something nice for the Mom). We host a party and ask everyone to bring something for the local food bank. After 30 years together, we really don't much buy for each other, which is what absolutely appalls some friends. But I make jewelry, and he knows what he wants and buys it. So my shopping will start when my favorite publican posts her lists of needy families and hubby and I start shopping for them.

I do the same thing, but for my elderly at work who don't have families. Then I write a letter to my Mom and give her a Bio and what I got for them in her name. Mom says it's her favorite gift every year.