As for the Topic of the Day...
I've actually grown fond of waiting until the last minute to by my Christmas gifts. I remember going out on December 24th a couple years ago, thinking that the stores would be mobbed, and the shelves empty, but the stores I went to were not mobbed and they all had adequate stock. So... However, I also don't really mind the crowds at the stores and malls - heck, it's Christmas, the stores are supposed to be crowded. Additionally, sometimes those crowds can be a source of entertainment, as it were - love that people watching!
There were a few years when I would try to buy something for everybody on my list, but that really just got way too out of hand for me. Over the past couple of years, I've just bought presents for my nieces and nephews, and a couple of friends. My brothers and I started drawing names a couple years ago in order to solve that "problem". I also gave up on making lists of possible presents since each time I would hit the stores and find
that present, I would then look to the left or right of
that present and find something better, more appropriate. Thankfully(?), John Michael, Alexandra and Alyssa actually like going shopping, so they usually just ask for Gift Cards from Santa (preferably from Target). And I have to say, that all three of them actually know how to shop, and they end up using their gift cards to buy clothes(!).
Now, if you want to talk about Christmas Cards, well... I continue to buy a few boxes each year, but only manage to send out about a dozen each season. At least I have a nice selection of cards.
