Otherwise, I'm cruising to an online Christmas. I've surrendered, and it feels so good. I'd rather put my time and energy into decorating, cooking, spending time with family, and just Be-ing, and fill the modest need for Stuff via online retailers.
This is not about being Scrooge-like. It's about spending my free time wisely. Knitting hats = wise. Baking = wise. Decorating = wise. Knitting and baking and decorating and then watching Christmas movies and reading stories with wee granddaughters? Priceless. Dragging my ass to the mall to buy a $20 gift for a random gift exchange? I can find more and better choices online, and pick them up at my door. I am embracing the online shopping this year, because work that pays the bills isn't going to slow down/stop for the grandma stuff.
Time Management. I'm finally learning it.
4 comments:
Amen!
I'm with you! I haven't stepped foot in a Mall in years. and many more years at Christmas time. Knitting, cooking & decorating sound like a much better use of our time:)
Wise use of all that (ahem) spare time !!
I avoid the Christmas scramble like the plague. Erich was born on 26 September, and for many reasons the only chance I had to go Christmas shopping (distance, no second car, Ernst working very hard), was Christmas EVE. With a squalling 3 month old.
Deeply psychologically scarred for the rest of my life.
Since then have kept a list in an old style bookkeeping ledger (remember those?) and I shop throughout the year, and am using online more and more.
Gae, in Callala Bay
I worked at Target through Christmas two years ago. It was a real eye-opener. I am an only child and have no children, so my family's Christmas' are small. I knit or sew most of the gifts I give my parents, with the exception of maybe a package of socks or underwear for my mom, along with a few small things like a package of bath or hair products or lip balm. (And fast-food gift cards---my dad loves him a trip to Wendy's for fries and a frosty on me. He's 82, so what the heck.) I was amazed at the young families that came through my lane with a fistful of credit cards that were all maxed out, and they all looked stressed out, frazzled, and a little dazed. I felt sorry for them---they seemed to be under such pressure. Personally, I really like our Less-Is-More-Little-House-on-the-Prairie Christmas', and I am grateful for everyone we get to enjoy together. Anyhoo---I think you tend to do less impulse shopping online as compared to going to the store, so maybe it saves money in the long run.
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