I made an excel spreadsheet and set a budget. Thankfully a few gifts were purchased this summer and put away. Having the spending months apart helps my budget work. Having everything purchased ahead of time also frees my schedule for baking items for the guys I work with that repeatedly make my life easier.
Pretty much everything has came from online shopping. Etsy & Amazon are both truly amazing when it comes to finding something for everyone. I didn't really realize how many gifts I purchase from Amazon until I started using the gift organizer. After I add my recipients I am able to add personality traits & sort through past purchases by person. Then Amazon starts recommending items the people on my list may enjoy.
I feel like a pretty good gift giver most of the time. There are people who just flat out stump me, and I try my best to purchase or make something that best represents their personality to me. And after listening to a This American Life broadcast about Christmas gift returns, it turns out everyone thinks they're good at gift giving. Ha. But it's Christmas ... in the grand scheme of things it doesn't matter. I am happy with whatever token I receive from someone & I would hope that others feel the same way. It's supposed to be fun. Though I do enjoy receiving things I need, I really like opening something that I don't need and would not normally spend money on.
I never got around to taking my last week of vacation this year. So I'm taking the week after Christmas. I will end up with 11 days off! I am really looking forward to spending time with my family & the dogs. This will be my family's first Christmas since my aunt passed away in January. I have already came to terms with the fact that Christmas will forever be altered, but I will not give up on making this coming and every Christmas from this point great.
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