Monday, November 7, 2011

Week 2–All About Gifts & Giving Week

Elf PRESENTS!!

 

(Actually, I think that Will Ferrell is yelling Santa but you get the gist – that is one of my favorite Christmas movies…hehe)

This week is all about starting gift shopping and organizing for all the gifts you want to make…and lets not forget gift wrapping!  This is, quite honestly, not my favorite part of Christmas.  I love making things for people for presents (even if I am not sure if people like getting home-made stuff) and getting things for the kids as they truly appreciate what you get them…well, the little kids do anyway.  I tend to find in this day and age that people just go out and buy what they want or need and there is nothing left to give them at Christmas.  I would much rather just get together, have drinks and play games.  But, here is the gifts week anyway!

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There are things that you can do to make Christmas more fun and affordable, there is drawing names, Secret Santa, setting price limits, Chinese gift exchange and making gifts.  These can all be fun and easy to do, and are much lighter on the pocket…all of which lower the hassle of expensive gifts and budgeting, which creates much less stress over the holidays…now doesn’t that sound like a way better way to spend the holidays!

Another reason that I start to organize things this early is that I either have to plan a trip to a major city (which takes organizing with my husband to make sure I can go without 2 young kids) and I buy a lot online, so you have to get things ordered with plenty of time to be delivered.

So here are the things that I consider and get ready during Gifts Week -

  • look over the lists that you made last week (you can find the lists in this post) and look online for the best prices, then figure out if it is store you can go to or if you have to get it online.  (The list I gave lets you track if you purchased it online and if you have received it yet.)
  • Once you figured out where you can get everything, check all the sale and delivery dates.  You want to make sure you can get that awesome price AND that you can get it before the holidays.  Especially check the delivery dates to ensure that you will get the gift when you require it.
  • Check the postal delivery dates as well so ensure that any gifts you want to send out will make it in time.  (I think that Canada Post says to get packages in the mail by Dec.6 to ensure delivery before Christmas.)
  • Shop for the items you need for your home-made gifts.  (I try to get that done as soon as possible as those gifts take the longest)
  • Make a gift wrap station where you can easily wrap the gifts as you get them…this will save your Christmas eve…trust me!  (I have to work on this as last year I spent 4 hours wrapping gifts as I am very slow at it!)
  • Include at your wrapping station an envelope that you can put all your receipts in it and have them in a handy stop.

This year I am trying to make all my gift wrappings eco-friendly.  I’ll have a couple of posts this week to show some options for that.

Happy Shopping everyone!!

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