OK, OK, we all know that you are sick of Christmas right now. Exhausted and recovering from it all.
But the reason we are talking about Christmas in January, is that we have a plan to make next Christmas completely different. Stress-free, in fact.
Here’s what you need to follow our plan:
A small notebook that fits easily into your purse or pocket.
A large box and a hiding place for it (like a closet or a basement corner.)
What to do:
They say that it is the thought that counts, but if that were really the case, there would be no 4 a.m. sales, doorbusters, or Black Fridays. Obviously, gifts are necessary for most folks. But should they be *thoughtful* gifts? Or something you had to trample someone to grab?
Right . . . now in the afterglow of post-Christmas, we can admit that gifts should be thoughtful.
The idea of giving a holiday gift to someone is that it is a message of love. It says: “I know you and love you. I know what you like. what you are interested in, because I am paying attention when we talk about you. I know that one of your favorite things is such and such. When I saw this such and such, it made me think of you. I know you will like it and know that you are important to me.”
That’s a lot to say for something you grabbed at the last stress-filled minute – and out of someone else’s hand to boot!
So, let’s go Christmas shopping all year long.
In your little notebook, make a list of everyone you want to buy a Christmas gift for. Keep it with you in your purse or pocket.
You know that as you go about your daily business, you run into things that remind you of this or that loved one. “So and so would really like that,” you say.
So, buy it. Right then. Buy it and wrap it, put so-and-so’s name on the tag, and put it in your hiding box. Cross so-and-so off the list.
By June or July, you will have most of your Christmas Shopping done! Look at those still left on the list and think about them a little harder. Have lunch together and chat about “things”. Try to elicit some likes and dislikes you don’t know about yet. It will make it easier to finish your list.
By Thanksgiving weekend, rather than getting up at 3 a.m. to make the doorbuster sale, you’ll be sleeping in, sipping hot chocolate and thinking about cookies, handmade decorations, cards, and other good things you will have plenty of time to make and enjoy. A person of holiday leisure!! How cool is that?
And there are other benefits too. You won’t be racking up those credit cards or robbing piggy banks because your gift expenses spread out over a whole year – and you took advantage of sales and seasonal closeouts too. Nobody wants a nice wool sweater once Spring is on the way, and the stores close them out. But that sweater will be well appreciated next December.
You won’t be dealing with crowded malls and impossible parking. You’ll be helping the economy to even out.
And everytime you visit your hiding box or go over your list, you are thinking about those loved ones – in a loving way. And that is, in itself, a gift.
number of view: 13
I love this idea and I’m really going to try to do it in 2010. I don’t want to be running around like a crazy woman next year (like I did this one!) trying to find things at the last minute. Especially those darn gift tags that got all eaten up during the holidays. Thanks, Jessica for a wonderful, thoughtful and stressless idea.
I am finding I have begun to have a Grinch attitude because even though I tell myself I’m going to do my shopping/creating in the summer, when it comes down to it I’m frantic come December and have no gifts. I then don’t look forward to the joys of what the Christmas season is all about.
Compound that with the fact that my daughter lives in Alaska and the rest of my family all live in Minnesota and I live in Michigan, I have to think about what I can either pack in a box to ship or pack in my luggage.
I do like your notebook idea. So often I speak with my daughter or my sisters and they mention something that I want to remember – but of course I forget. What a helpful idea!
Thanks and Happy New Year from Alaska, the land of limited daylight right now – ugh!
The notebook is such a great idea and the box for collecting those early gifts is visually satisfying, watching it fill and knowing relaxation is headed your way during the holidays. Now, if I can just stay motivated during the year to actually do it. Each season programs us to achieve certain goals and I’ve never been good at making the more distant holiday a priority. You’ve definitely made it easier. Many thanks.
Cassie, have you considered recycling Christmas cards into gift tags? They work wonderully. Or get a gift card stamp at Michael’s or elsewhere with a stamp pad to make your own. Make a fair supply ahead of time, and use double sided tape, glue dots, or run them though a mini xyron ( the x shaped thing) to make a sticker out of them.
Who uses gift tags? Doesn’t everyone either write on the package or cut a strip of giftwrap leftovers and fold it in half for a tag? No, gift wrapping is not my forte!
Good idea on the list. I try to keep a list but it doesn’t do much good when it sits in my file box. In my notebook in my purse sounds like a better idea! Thanks.
I’m sure you’ve been reading my mind, Jessica!! This is exactly how I USED to shop for gifts, and I leart it from my grandmother who had always completed her Christmas and birthday shopping for the year by July – August at the latest. I still try to do it that way, but a lot of ill-health has been hindering my efforts over the last few years.
Nevertheless, I heartily agree that a gift should always be something that you know the recipient would love – which, of course and as you wisely point out, means knowing the person really well. (I know someone who gives me gifts that she loves but that’s definitely not the same thing!!)
A big thank you for all the work you put into making Wisdom Woman and your own particular blogs so interesting, and helpful too. I’m often late catching up with them all, as you can see by the date on this comment, but I do enjoy and appreciate them.
And thank you too for letting us commenters know that you appreciate us as well.
OK, I’m convinced. No more gift tag buying for me. I’m going to make them or use a strip of the gift wrap! Honestly though, I was buying the tags for Mom, who’s staying at my house for a while. She wraps everything so pretty and gift tags were a request that I just had to fulfill. Maybe when she goes to Jessica’s house next month, she can teach Mom how to make ever-so-cool tags and the whole thing will be solved.
I love this idea too! I used to do this long ago..when I felt more organized and full of energy
I’m going to grab a new notebook and vow to do it again! Thanks DM!