It’s time again for my “Christmas Sanity Plan” blog. I’ve decided that this month it’s time to start actually purchasing a few gifts to have ready for Christmas. So, this month I’m going to concentrate on the friends for whom I generally get a gift.
I know what you are thinking. O.K., I may not know exactly what you are thinking but I know what I’d be thinking if I were reading this. I’d be thinking, “Nancy is crazy, it’s only May!” But, if you’ll recall, my plan is to be done with all Christmas shopping by December 1, and spread out the purchasing so I’m not a nut case on December 25. But, I do have to admit, that even though this is my goal, I’m having trouble getting motivated.
This month, I’m going to focus on the few friends for whom I buy gifts. Now, what to get them? Do you have a favorite book, or CD that you think your friend would enjoy? Does one of your friends love to cook? How about a fun new kitchen gadget? Do you know a lover of music or the arts? How about tickets to play? It’d be even more fun if you went with them.
Is there a single mom on your list? I can pretty much guarantee you that she’d enjoy a gift certificate to a local take-out restaurant, or even a frozen meal she could pull out after a long day at work. She won’t mind if you give it to her in May instead of December.
Be creative and focus on matching the gift to the person. There is nothing I love more than to see something when I’m shopping that is “just perfect” for a particular friend. Sometimes I save them for Christmas, but what I love most is to give it them on a random “thinking of you” day.
Perhaps May is just as busy for you as December but you, too, would really like to get a jump on your Christmas shopping. Here’s my motto: “never underestimate the power and ease of internet shopping.” If you need a little motivation, put “It’s a Wonderful Life” in the CD player and grab the laptop. Add a little spiced cider, ramp up the A/C and it’ll feel just like Christmas.
Nancy,
I love these Christmas Sanity Plan blogs. They have really helped me be more prepared for the upcoming Holiday Season. I’ve bought all my stamps for my Christmas letters, I have all my address labels done and I’ve already designed my Christmas letter. Since most of my family lives in the Northwest, I send almost everyone gift cards and I pick up several a month so I don’t have to buy them all in November and December!! I’ve also picked up several gifts for our local bible book store as I can always find something special for my closest friends. My goal for this year is to have my Christmas Letters out the Day after Thanksgiving and have our neighborhood Open House the first weekend in December with Christmas cookies and punch. Then hopefully I can relax, bake cookies with my kids and just enjoy the season….we’ll see if it happens that way.
A great gifts for single moms is a gift certificate to a spa, it’s a luxury that very few single moms get to enjoy. Another gift for a single mom is something that we often overlook, a gift card to the Grocery store. Most single moms are on a budget and I remember back when I was a single mom that someone from my church gave me $50 gift card and it was perfect timing as I needed diapers and formula for my daughter!!
If you love kitchen gadgets, I would highly recommend a silicone baking mat (under $20 at Bed Bath & Beyond). My husband bought me one as a gift several years ago. I opened it and thought….I'm a professional baker, why would I need a baking mat. Well, it's now my favorite kitchen gadget and won't make a pie or roll sugar cookies without it.
Another gift that I enjoy giving that does cost a lot but takes time is I make a DVD of family picture that we’re taken over the past year, add music and it’s a great gift for Grandma, Grandpa’s, Aunts and Uncles. Another year I sent out a CD of our favorite Christian music and also some of my kid’s favorite songs!! It can be a lot of fun and I enjoy making the labels for the CD’s.
Merry Christmas in May!!!
~Callie
Great ideas, Callie! Thanks for sharing them. Also, it’s good to know I’m not the ONLY one who is actually doing this crazy thing!