Christmas Shopping

I have decided that this year will be different. 'How' you ask? Well, let me paint a picture of years past. In the past, I wait until about December 10th to really truly nail down an idea of what I am planning on getting everyone. By December 10th, all of the really good sales are over (a.k.a. Black Friday). By December 10th, I am either gearing up for finals, teaching, unpacking because we've just moved, or packing because we are visiting one of our families for Christmas. By December 10th we are looking at our bank account thinking "where did the money go?!? How will we afford presents?!?" Then, by December 23rd I am almost done frantically running around like a chicken with my head cut off. By December 24th (at about 4pm) I am finished either running around stores searching for that last lil' item I forgot to get or I'm wrapping presents in a rush so that I can finish working on the other Christmas Eve things I forgot to get to because I was working on getting my Christmas shopping done. *whew!* This entire monologue wears me out just typing it and thinking about it! Yikes!

So. This year will be different.

This is how this year will be different:

1. By November 5th I had a fancy spreadsheet all ready to go with all of my people listed and several options for Christmas gifts next to their name.
2. By November 10th I not only had priced out the majority of the items I had planned to buy, but had already purchased or ordered them.
3. By today (November 15th) I have almost finished with 1/2 of my Christmas gifts.

My goal?
To be completely (yes, I said the "C" word) completely done with my Christmas shopping.

Why?

1. Because after having just one kid, I'm realizing that I don't have too many brain cells to lose with additional pregnancies and births (and no, this is not an announcement that we are pregnant. I'm just looking at the facts of how scatter-brained I truly am and it does not look like the situation will be rectified ever in my entire life.)
2. Because I am tired of rushing around on Christmas Eve putting the finishing touches on my shopping list and/or creating shoddy wrapmanship on my Christmas presents (I'll be honest - I LIKE the pretty bows and ribbons and having everything look neat and nice! It's the scrapbooker in me! I am one of those crazy people who try to unwrap my presents exactly the way they were wrapped. Drives my husband crazy!)
3. Because we are traveling this year to visit my wonderful, crazy, fun-loving, awesome family in Alaska this Christmas and I want to make sure we have everything we need.
4. Because we are having a 2nd Christmas when we get back and I want to make sure that we have everything we need.
5. Because we now have international family members and I want our presents to arrive in Germany on time.
6. Because I am tired of being Christmas scattered! :)
7. Because, ok ok - I confess. Because I plan on spending Christmas Eve day working on a fabulous cake with fondant that is supposed to look like a 3 tier Christmas present that will be edible! (I bought my pans today!!!)
8. Because I want our bank account to thank us by having money in it at the end of the year. Literally.
9. Because - why not?

So, for the sake of my own sanity, my husbands well-being, and my daughters care, I am attempting to be Christmas organized! So far, it is going well. I have even managed to post thrice in the last month. That is saying something...