How early do you prepare for Christmas?

[Kickaha]

I’ve started buying presents already (as I’m not a last minute person). My excuse there is I like receiving presents (warm glow someone out there remembers me) and it helps to have given presents as well.

We’ll get a Christmas tree up in due course.

[Val]

I have also started, Kickaha! Gifts for grandkids amd son are sorted - just daughter and daughter-in-law to get and those are in my online wishlist while I debate with myself whether they are the right choices or not. Christmas gammon ordered from butcher yesterday - always afraid of being too late on the booking list! Our annual Egg Nog Day is earmarked for December 8, when the family come to help decorate my tree and we get mightily cheery with Steve's eggnog while doing it. The day is finished off with a braai (barbeque) and a swim - it is summer here!!

[Stella]

I start early. Whenever I'm out and see an item I think someone might like, I purchase it. This past July, I found 2 automatic picture changing frames, my girls have been eyeing. They have passed them up, because those things are expensive. The 2 I found were 60% off, and I can't wait for my girls to open them.


It's Christmas every day for my grandchildren. I can't manage to hang on to the stuff until Christmas!

[JKEerie]

Unfortunately, I have no shopping to do. We stopped exchanging years ago and typically only bought items for Mom and the kids in the family. My nieces and nephews are all grown and with Mom gone, that leaves my great nephews who are now at that age where they want gift cards or money. As to decorating...I will start the first week in December and do a bit every day.

[LadyKestrel]

I sock away things all year for Christmas and birthdays, especially when online museum shops have sales. I now have to make a list of who gets what, fill in the gaps, and do my wrapping. I'm also making my Christmas cards this year, so I've been busy with that. I don't decorate as much as I used to because I don't get much company for Christmas anymore. My cousin has a big spread for family on Christmas Eve, and now it's just my sister and me on Christmas Day since Dave's sister and her husband have become snowbirds and are living in Florida for the winter.

[draclvr]

I don't do much decorating as no one comes here except for one day. They always want home made Christmas pizza! As the grandkids get older, it's harder to get everyone together. Oldest grandson is 20 and in Basic Training in the Army, but he will be home for a few days. I will put my tree up a couple of weeks before Christmas and that's it. I have to start shopping for Christmas fairly early for my 3 grandkids in Colorado as their stuff has to get out there
by UPS. I just have one granddaughter close by and she's pretty easy as she like just about anything, but especially likes books. I do set aside one Saturday and she comes over and we bake Christmas cookies. She's 12 this year, so I don't know how much longer she will want to keep doing that, but we really have fun.

[Kickaha]

Wise of you who keep an eye open for sales during the year! I don’t plan that far ahead! My wife did ask me if I would ever consider during a cruise over Christmas, certainly not at the moment while we still have family to see.

[mbday630]

In my old age, I only give money for Christmas presents. My older grandchildren like that better as I am a poor shopper. But, I am not going to be around for Christmas this year. I am flying down to Florida to have Christmas with my daughter and son in law and grandson. My daughter was just diagnosed with Graves disease and I figured that I could maybe help while she goes through treatment - or whatever she is planning on doing. but, money is always the right color.

[skeeter]

I start shopping from the Christmas before for toys and things I see on sale. Around October I start getting other presents and bits of food. So I feel really organised. Then the end of November I get it all out and realise I need several things and start to panic because there's only a couple of pays until Christmas, and I still have to wrap and decorate etc. This year is even more panicked because we were clearing up for my 40th birthday party, so too busy to think about Christmas. I managed to ge the new tree up yesterday, it's huge! Hopefully we'll get it decorated by the weekend.

[draclvr]

Skeeter, you ARE very organized!

[skeeter]

Thanks Drac... I don't feel it!

[draclvr]

I'm fairly organized this year. I'm wrapping presents to send out to the Colorado grandkids this week. Usually, I scrambling at the last minute! My grandson who is 14 is getting harder to shop for. But he's been wanting to build a gaming computer with Grandma for a couple of years now. So they finally told him if he keeps his grades up, he can do it. He's been getting A's and B's all semester, so I've already purchased some components for him and I'm wrapping and sending them as his Christmas present. We're going to fly out there during spring break in March and he and I are going to build it then. So, he's getting a motherboard and a gaming keyboard to drool over until March!

[Val]

Lucky boy!!