Some years I can dare to image Christmas before Thanksgiving. Some years I’ve even bought a few gifts before the end of November rolled around. This year, not so much. I think it may have crossed my mind once or twice, and I might have even had a good idea or two but then I was inundated with Thanksgiving prep and the general overwhelming feeling that Christmas prep evokes. I mentally put it away…until now.
So, this Sunday, Thanksgiving fun in the rearview mirror. I sat down with my trusty spiral notebook (our random thing to love today), and started to bust out some lists. I made several. Family, friends, and then “other people I need to thank.” My goal is to keep it simple this year, but I still want to acknowledge all the wonderful people in my life in some way, even if it’s the simplest little thing. I often tend to over think presents because I want them to be perfect. I debate over sizing, color, style….I waste a LOT of energy trying to get it right. Not just right, but “oh wow, this is amazing” right. It’s nice to be a good gift giver, but not if the process gets so overwhelming you end up not doing it, or doing it for fewer people than you’d like because you got so caught up in it….OR you make yourself crazy in the process and don’t enjoy it (my problem.)
So, my advice is to get out the always useful, always cheap, spiral notebook, and list everyone that you want to acknowledge and start checking off names. Pronto. We’ve got about two weeks to comfortably shop and feel “early” and on top of it. It’s glorious to finish shopping by the 8thor 9thof December. It makes the rest of the month really chill so it’s a goal worth striving for. When in doubt, pull the trigger, don’t fret too much because truthfully, whatever you get is going to be accompanied by a heartfelt gift tag that says, “you mean so much to me”—or whatever variation you put down, and it’s going to be appreciated and loved. I now really try to go with my first instinct on things, and I don’t spend a ton of time second guessing because honestly I don’t think it helps, and the years that I got crazy about finding the perfect things, were also the years I ran out of time (and went a little bonko in the process).
The other thing I do is duplicate. I have a lot of gifts that I need to give that are just gesture of thanks, and I don’t necessarily know the person super well, or need to spend much money, but I really want to acknowledge and thank them for what they contribute to my life. That’s when I will buy 10 pairs of socks (PJ Salvage to the right), wrap them super cute and call it good, or 10 cute bars of soap. (Soap & Paper to the left)…you get the idea. I can knock a lot of people off the list that way, and I usually try to make sure I order/buy a few extra because inevitably someone will remember someone else (like the teacher’s aid etc.) My motto is, keep it simple so you have the energy
to really acknowledge all the people in your life you would like to—because it feels REALLY good when you do. Believe me, I’ve had year in the past where I’ve avoided certain people for weeks around the holidays just because I knew I should have a gift and hadn’t gotten it together yet. It’s the worst feeling!
Today is Cyber Monday, as if you didn’t know, which means there are some great deals to snatch up, and goodies to gift (or grab for yourself). We’re doing an additional 40% off all sale styles (code: cybermonday), and there are loads of new styles added this past weekend so fresh finds are to be found (as well as other hidden gems that are wicked good deals.)
Here’s to a productive week where we make headway on our lists….I’m going into December in control!
Signed, ME {lv}
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