O.T. Anyone else start Christmas shopping?

Basically - no!

I always wait til closer to Christmas.  The few years I've shopped early by the time it's getting close to Christmas I wind up finding more things I want to give so spend a lot more.  That's not to say that I don't already have a few things picked up that I have found through out the year at incrediably reduced prices at end of season sales (got DIL a $300 down filled jacket for $30 last April among other things).  I have a very small family to buy for though - just Hubby, Son, DIL and Grand Daughter - so I can indulge a bit.

Winyan - The  Power Within

Susan

sandra4611 said:

New Kind of Christmas

Since I was forced to quit my job, retire and apply for early Social Security earlier this year, this will be a new kind of Christmas. With both of us retired now, we are on a fixed income for the rest of our lives. There is no discretionary income so I don't know what the heck I will do. My 3 "kids" are all grown but none are married and we have no grandchildren. They are used to getting spoiled at Christmas as well as on their birthdays, which all fall in December and January. My daughters (40 & 36) live far away (Chicago & St. Petersburg, FL) and my son (28) lives near us here in San Antonio. Any suggestions?

 

Sandra,

You might make something for them.  I am sure you have a lot of pictures from the time they were little.  One of the gifts my mom made me was an album that had pictures of me and my brother and sister and also copies of my great grandparents with labels and information about them.  It was a real history of the family and I treasure it.  Or if you sew you could make placemats or other things.  And honestly I think if you tell the kids that with the change in income comes a change in gift giving they won't even care about gifts.  I understood when my retired that she was not going to do the big Christmas and it didn't matter at all.  Now that Den and I are on a limited income my daughter understands that gifts are going to be more modest.  For the grandkids, I get books and puppets and I watch what I spend. Another great gift would be to write a memory book for them.  Get a nice journal and write what it was like raising them and all that you loved about them.  Or write about your childhood and your memories of your grandparents.  I love the connecting with the past.  I learned that my grandfather nd great grandfather worked on the San Francisco Bay Bridge and the Mojave Desert water project.  Also that my great aunt started the Miner's Hospital in Park City Utah and my Great Grandmother was the first white child born in Park City.  I think that these types of gifts are worth their weight in gold.  Make ornaments, bake and send cookies, make a video of yourself and talk about their childhood.  There will come a time when these are treasure.  My sister took a bunch of our old movies and videos and had them transferred to CD's.  It wasn't too expensive so you might want to look into something like that.  If you have any skills, painting, sculpting, sewing, knitting etc.  put them to use.  Do you have any ornaments that go back to when they were young?  Those could make a treasureed gift.  Be creative.  Others will give you other ideas that could work but most of all don't stress about what you used to spend.  they are adults and will understand.  remember they love you and I am sure just happy that you are in their lives.

Hope your holiday is full of joy.

Stef

disneyfan2008 said:

I am sure they all

I am sure they all understand.....even small gestures...from the heart...

 

I stopped doing adult gifts many years ago-inlaws not happy about it...but my family felt the same way...NOW my grown daughter gets  joint gift (coffee machine -blankets etc)

Denise

 

 Years ago my mother gave me a handwritten journal "book" about her early life. I really treasure it, especially now that she is no longer living. I keep it in my dresser and whenever I feel particularly sad or vulnerable I take it out and read it, it really comforts me.  I have little shopping done, I found Kate Spade bags at Nordstrom Rack for my nieces at a great price and I have a couple of things for my sons. Happy shopping. Love Surf