DONE

I finished Christmas shopping today.  Well, my portion of it.  B is buying for his father, my mom’s husband (lottery tickets,) and me.  EVERYONE else is done.  Husband, parents, inlaws, children, nieces, nephew, brother, sister in law, sister (hush, you,) friends.  Whew!

Now the hard part is not giving folks their gifts right this second.  DDFF and I just said, “Screw tradition,” and exchanged gifts early.  Man, I love her.  It’s so hard to keep things from people, regardless of how soon Christmas is.  And there’s the hiding of the gifts, which is never easy.  Christmas presents, once hidden, can find their way into all the nooks and crannies you might have, often times never to be seen again.  It’s happened all my life.  When I was a little bitty kid (elementary school aged,) my folks would give each of us kids a certain amount of money and we’d have to use that money to pick out gifts for our siblings and parents.  Even as tiny kids, I remember doing that.  As a small girl, I always bought my sister pantyhose.  ALWAYS.  I was so little and still wore tights that came wrapped around cardboard that the idea of wearing pantyhose that came from a plastic egg was so elegant.  I thought it was a GREAT gift, those lovely Leggs pantyhose.  I probably bought them 3 or 4 more years than she actually got them because they’d get lost under my bed, in the closet.  Whatever.  I have lost bath beads and candles meant for my father’s wife, cds meant for my brother, earrings for my mother, who knows what else bought for whom.  Countless little toys for the kids.  Gone.  Forever.  Or maybe not.

When I lose presents, I realize it and then feel so guilty that I over compensate.  The folks who’s original presents were lost end up getting stuff much more extravagant than I had planned on getting them but last minute shopping means 1) everything is already sold out and,  2) I’m desperate.  So they actually WIN.  And, so do I, several months (or in some cases, years) later when I discover the still wrapped gifts jutting out of my desk drawer, out from under the worktable in the garage, in the back of the freezer (honest to Elvis.)  Yep, those babies are mine.  All mine.  And, let me tell you, I use that meat thermometer all the time.  Sheesh.

So, for the rest of you, happy bargain hunting.  It’s gnarly out there.  I suggest going during the week or at 2 AM.  Lots of places are having huge sales, some places give you hot cocoa when you walk through the door.  Most places give you disgruntled looks, unfriendly groans, and very little help (Westlake Ace Hardware being the exception – those folks are awesome,) but they give it in abundance and they give it for free.  BEST OF LUCK TO YOU ALL.

And if you need some size A nude Leggs Pantyhose, I can tell you of a house in Imperial, MO, that probably has a 20 year-old pair stuck in the basement closet wall.