Last year, I attempted to meet what seemed like an impossible goal--to finish my Christmas shopping before Thanksgiving. My goal was inspired in part by a nightmarish experience the year before at a local mall one weekend close to Christmas. B and I were stuck in our car in a parking lot for over an hour just trying to get a parking space. I think we were both scarred from the experience, and I vowed to figure out a better way to do my Christmas shopping.
Finishing before most people even start seemed like the best option. True, I might miss out on some sales, but really--is a savings of a few dollars worth the hassle of post-Thanksgiving shopping? I decided not. And since I do a large portion of my shopping online, sales aren't always relevant.
Last year, I didn't finish all of my shopping before Thanksgiving, but I did finish most of it, and having only a minimum amount of shopping to do in the weeks leading up to Christmas was fabulous. I decided it was a Christmas tradition to carry forward into the future.
This year, B and I started our shopping even earlier--in September while we were on our honeymoon. We purchased almost half of our gifts while abroad, leaving us with a small amount of shopping to do when we returned. And I am happy to say that as of today, we are very nearly finished. We have purchased a few gifts that require "finishing touches," but I do not foresee any problems meeting our Thanksgiving deadline.
Oh, and another success--this weekend we wrapped all of our gifts. Now all we need is a tree to put them under. But I guess mid-November is a little early for a Christmas tree...
