Holiday Gift Giving: Doing Things Differently This Year

I don't know about you guys, but this year I want the holiday season to be different. Becoming a parent, with all its inherent stresses and joys, has awaken in me a desire to really enjoy these special times. To embrace the warmth and laughter and togetherness that come with Thanksgiving and Christmas (which is what we celebrate at our house) and let that rule the season. To enjoy all the odd behavior that goes on during this time of year - the unbuttoning of pants in mixed company, the falling asleep on the couch with company around, the wrapping of houses and trees in lights, the listening to the same songs over and over again. Now, I'm not talking about the frenzy that goes on during the holiday shopping season; that isn't odd behavior to me - greed and panic are present all year round, just in lesser amounts. I'm talking about the weird things we do for the holidays.

In order to have time to enjoy these things, I have decided that I need to start working on my shopping now. Don't get me wrong; I love shopping for other people, often more than I love shopping for myself. I love the feeling of getting others things they need or want, or never knew they always needed; the joy of giving is imbued in the season for me. But shopping for gifts, the right gifts that people will love and truly enjoy, takes time. And this year is especially difficult; we, like most others, are on a tighter budget, which makes selecting the gifts that much more important. Plus, I now have a 14 month-old to contend with, and I doubt Little B is up for a ton of long, crowded shopping sessions with a very stressed-out mom.

So, starting last week, I have been working on it ... hard. I have lists upon lists going of ideas for people that won't break our bank but that will warm their hearts. I have been bugging people for ideas of what they'd like (that's where you should always start, right?) and pouring tirelessly over websites, magazine articles, online stores, and catalogs we've gotten in the mail for ideas.

I wish I could write out all my ideas for people, but many of my readers are also my recipients so that just won't work. But, in case you're feeling the itch to buy gifts people will love-love this year, I am going to try really hard to share with you ideas I've gathered, products I've received myself, and wonderful things I've happened upon.

For ideas now, check out my label entitled "gift ideas" - I've tried to catalog good ideas in there, in case I or anyone else needed them in the future.

Best wishes and happy holidays to you all!