Time For Christmas Shopping Yet?

I usually don’t even THINK about this stuff until around December the 14th or 23rd, haha, but this year my mother’s cracking down on us kids and forcing us to send her our Christmas Lists by November the 10th or lights out this holiday season ;) Or so she says anyways…

We’re probably too old now to even be *getting* gifts anymore, but it’s a family tradition everyone still enjoys and we know how much fun my mom (now grandma!) has watching our faces light up every time we unwrap one of her gifts ;) And I’ll admit it’s fun watching her and my dad do the same too.

What HAS been changing over the years, however, are the amounts and PRICES of the gifts we are now passing around. Once at a chart topping $100-$150 a pop for each of us kids growing up (gifts that my parents would bestow on us, not the other way around cuz who pays attention to that as a kid? ;)), we’re now at a more appropriate $50 and under type of budget. And then around $25-$30 between us siblings and now kids/siblings significant others.

Here is what our budget will probably end up looking like this year:

• Siblings x 4 x $30 = $120
• Parents x $50 x 3 =$150
• Babies/Godchilds x $25 x 3 = $75
• Friends/Significant others/people we’re forgetting = $150?
• Gifts between my wife and I x $50 x 2 = $100
• GRAND TOTAL: $595

Give or take a little depending on how well we stick to the plan ;) There are times I need to spend a little over to get something REALLY cool for people, and others when I find incredible deals and end up spending a lot less for the same thing. But we’ll see how this year treats us… Either way not a bad budget, at least to me. Especially considering the wife and I only do around $50 a piece to keep things low key as we tend to spend more (around $100-$150) on each other on our birthdays instead. Which also happens to fall in December ;) It’s one crazy gift giving month, that’s for sure.

Whatever the prices may be though, it’s just nice KNOWING what to expect and that everyone’s on the same page: We want to do something nice for each other but not going overboard! I mean ‘cuz let’s face it – everything we pretty much want or need we already buy ourselves as adults, yeah?

So it’s more about the joy of opening things up and knowing everyone put some thought behind their gifts that makes the holiday fun :) And every now and then we get surprised with something we just totally love! (Which is made easier with these Christmas Lists we do now, haha… unless you go off track and try to go for the gold ;)) We even do years where you can only MAKE something for each other too, but those are fewer and far between because of how busier our lives have gotten and the time it all involves. But they are fun when we go for them.

That’s our outlook on the impending holiday, anyways. How about you? Anyone already started picking up gifts here and there? Anyone already DONE with Christmas shopping?? Tell us how you do things in YOUR hood… Every year it starts all over again! Haha…