Thursday, December 08, 2005

I think this is the latest I've ever been with Christmas shopping - I used to always always always have every last bit of my shopping by December 1 - Because the holidays, for our family, really start on December 2nd (my sister's birthday) and go all the way through March 1 (our brother's birthday) and it encompasses Julie's birthday, my husband's birthday (December 6), our dad and stepmom's anniversary (December 18), Christmas (duh), Kwanzaa, Julie's mom's birthday (December 27th), our stepdad's birthday (January 4th - or 6th - I can never remember), our dad's birthday (January 5th), My kid's birthday (February 2) and the birthday that I share with Arsenio Hall and Josh Brolin (February 12) - It's pretty much a non-stop gift giving extravaganza for us, but I'm having some issues (surprising no?):

1) My dad has copped out on a Christmas list this year, saying something about how the best present he could have hoped for was to have all of us together at the wedding - and, while that's sweet and all, how about something I can get for ya at Target or Amazon?
2) My husband is more or less impossible to buy for - there's only so many polo shirts, Old Navy boxers and Playstation 2 games that one person can own.
3) If my husband is more or less impossible to buy for, my brother is COMPLETELY impossible to buy for - he's a computer guy and he likes hockey - can't get him any computer stuff, he owns them all, can't buy him a nice tie, he owns his own company and doesn't have to wear them and can't get him any hockey stuff because he own it all.
4) My new Sister In Law just got married, like, five minutes ago and from what I've heard, they still haven't dug out from all those boxes. (Granted, that didn't stop her from sending an email yesterday saying that they'd been extra good this year and were definitely expecting Santa to stop by the house.)

Now don't anyone suggest gift cards/certificates because gift cards are something that your boss gets you because he doesn't know anything about you, or they're something you get because you're too lazy to buy a Ch-ch-ch-chia pet for the office gift exchange, they're not something you get for immediate family.

It's times like this when I think it would be a good idea to do the thing where you everyone picks a name and only buys stuff for that person... but the only problem with that is that no matter whose name I pick, I'm still going to want to buy presents for my kid, my husband, my sister, my dad and my stepmom... so, really, it doesn't ease the burden at all... oh, not that it's a burden to buy presents for my family... well, some of them... nevermind...