Christmas Shopping

Let's talk Christmas.

Hey, It's September 9th. There's only 107 days left. We might as well start talking about it.

In the past, I've done most of my shopping on Black  Friday, and I get anything I missed online or on a trip that I take to The City the first or second week in December. I am usually done two weeks before Christmas, and I use the remaining time to wrap and bake and enjoy the season in general.

But I've been reading a few blogs lately, where they're bragging that their Christmas shopping is nearly-- if not completely-- finished. Braggers.

I would love to have my Christmas shopping done right now. But how do you do it? Seriously, how?

I don't buy for a lot of people. Here's my list:

The Agent
Bug
BK
Dad
Alice (my stepmother)
Lucky (my brother)
Alice's Mom
Alice's Dad
My niece
My nephew
BFF #1
BFF #2
BFF #3 (and this one is questionable)
Bug's teacher
BK's teacher
The two after school teachers

That's it. We're not ones to give presents to the neighbors and the garbage man and whatnot. The Agent doesn't talk to his family, and my Mom and Kari (my sister) refuse to accept presents. So Christmas shopping really isn't that difficult.

I could see being able to buy the teacher gifts early, and even the BFF's. But let's look at some of the other people. Let's say The Agent wants a new Bose speaker system. That's a pretty awesome gift, something that his hot wife would be more than happy to give. But there's still 107 days before Christmas. That's 107 days that The Agent could buy a Bose system all by himself. Or decide that he hates Bose. Or that he wants black instead of white.

Or maybe BK loves Lightning McQueen, so you buy these cool custom painted shoes:

Aren't they cute? Go here to buy them! 

But what happens when BK decides next week that he likes TMNT instead of Cars? Or his feet grow three sizes?  You can't return a custom item, and even in the case of the Bose system, you can't return most items after 90 days. So, how do you get around these problems?

Now, I know that the biggest argument is going to be it's the thought that counts, It's better to give than receive, blah blah blah. I'm sorry, no. I am not made of money. When I buy something, I want it to be something they actually want or need, or alternatively, include a gift receipt.

And just so you know, this works both ways. I currently have $184 worth of clothes in my online shopping bag at Nordstrom. I could tell The Agent and my parents that I want these things for Christmas, but I don't want to wait!