Finding the time for holiday shopping
Thanksgiving (American) is just around the corner, and, after that is the official opening of the holiday shopping season, Black Friday, where normal schedules and fiscal sense are abandoned.
Every year, I try to pace myself for Christmas shopping, and, it just doesn’t happen. Therefore, I will likely be in the huddled masses in the malls over the next few weeks.
Finding the time to Christmas shop is always a challenge.
My job is funny about wanting me to be there during the day, and, the kids are funny about dinner, homework, and, bed in the evening.
Besides, as they get older, “Hey, is that a monkey over there?” no longer works to distract them when I need to pick out their gifts, and, they’re with me.
So, what to do?
I usually take a day off in early December in order to get in a marathon day to finish a large chunk of the shopping, but, we all know what often happens on a planned day off. So, therefore, December often finds me at the late night hours at the mall or at Wal-Mart in the middle of the night.
I kind of wish stores had early morning holiday hours, as I am more likely to be able to get there at 6am rather than 10pm.
Please note, this is not the time to tell me you finished in July, or, that you’ve hand made all your gifts and give donations to charity in your friends’ names.
Just sayin’.
Online shopping helps, but, you still end up needing stuff from the store, anyway.
Do you have any hints for finding the time to get holiday shopping and errands done and keeping your job and your kids?
Yes, I need to pick up some things at a store, but this year I have already finished about 80% of my shopping, and I did the vast bulk of it online. Amazon Prime is my friend! I have the advantage of a part-time job, so my “in person” shopping mostly takes place during the day, so I can pick up things for the family then. Today I was out grocery shopping and picked up several stocking stuffers at Kroger. The price might be a tad higher, but the convenience is worth it.
I order nearly everything online. $5 in shipping (or free shipping offers are even better) totally beat having to drag myself to the mall. Or even worse, multiple malls if they don’t have what I’m looking for.
Now granted this is easier because I only have one to deal with, but we have the past couple of years set up several consecutive playdates with my daughter and a couple of her friends. We rotate with the other parents over a couple of weekends, so that one parent is doing the watching, and the others are shopping.
Shop online. And, with this years toy issues most of the safe stores are online. http://adopttwoboys.blogspot.com
ah, sorry. I skimmed. Bad habit. I tend to do things like this with help from grandma and grandpa. Babysitting is great and free if you have that available.
To tell you the truth, most of my Christmas shopping is via Amazon and eBay, but I have ordered something special I saw in a window on my way to work.
My goal, this year, is to buy less and spend the holidays doing more with the kids. I think it will make us all happier.
“My job is funny about wanting me to be there during the day, and, the kids are funny about dinner, homework, and, bed in the evening.”
That made me laugh.
I did all of my holiday shopping online last year too. I love it because I despise crowds and crazy shoppers.
I go superficial and covert. Gotta love those gift card racks at the grocery store.
As for the kids/baby gifts that need to be purchased in person, I block my calendar by scheduling “off site” meetings at work and make up the missed work time after the little one is asleep.