debbiedana

6 months pregnant with twins and your peeps bailed on you!?!?!?! OMG!!! You need some new friends! I'm just kidding, I'm sure your friends are lovely people... But seriously you should try to guilt at least one person into going with you!

Jerks. I usually buy three for the coupons. Whatever, I'll just get the Sun Times.

I told my nephew he was getting a history lesson... he grimaced... As he opened the big box I told him that more specifically, it was about the dead presidents... bigger grimace... Then he pulled out a mini xmas tree and the random dollar bills were folded to see the president's face, and paper clipped like ornaments all over the tree. Very funny, we all got a laugh out of his history lesson.

The Von Maur store at the mall has a really nice set up with a decorated tree, sleigh and fake wrapped gifts. I've been taking DD's picture there for years. I just have to be careful not to get the escalator in the picture;) Lots of people do this, so I rarely get strange looks.

Keep the fun of Santa alive by being Santa! Play Santa for the needy. Contact the Salvation Army or similar charity and be Santa for someone in need! Try to find a child the same age and gender as your child and let him or her help shop for them! I already do this w/DD9, and I expect her to take an even more central role in it when we're no longer leaving out milk and cookies Xmas Eve. (And BTW I will cry my eyes out that Xmas Eve... I'm just hoping she won't admit anything to me for a couple more years...)

My daughter broke her 2006 snowglobe and I was able to buy one on ebay cheap.

Hallelujah sister! I couldn't have said it any better myself! Who needs sleep? I have to go to Kohls!

My daughter who was 8 at the time said somthing to me when we were wrapping gifts for the kids we picked from the Giving Tree. She said "why do we have to help Santa with this stuff? Can't he just bring extra to poor kids?" (I should state that she was just trying to figure it out, not being snotty about giving to those less fortunate) I told her Santa was taking care of the necessities, like soap and toothpaste and underwear and food, things that we take for granted, and we are helping Santa out so those kids can get presents too. I got her even more excited that we were helping Santa. She's really into Christmas charities and food pantries this year. I don't think she's noticed that some kids get more expensive things from Santa than she does, and she is a bright and observant nine year old.

I make DH do the outside stuff. I do the inside stuff. We do it the first weekend of December, maybe earlier this year b/c we have parties on Fri Sat and Sun that weekend.

Very nice emptynest! On my side of the family, everyone still buys for the kids (there are five). Only the adults draw a name. Kids still get too much stuff, adults still at least get something, everyone is happy.

I hear you! It's always soooo cold BF at 3:30 a.m.! I'm waiting for the one year we get a freaky warm day, like 65, so it won't be so painful to be waiting in line. According to accuweather.com for Chicago's west suburbs: Thanksgiving: High 43, low 27 Partyly cloudy BF: High 46, low 29 Cloudy It says snow and rain for Saturday. Not that the forecast won't change a hundred times, but that's what we've got so far. I'll take that forecast! Could be a lot worse. I think rain would be the worst for me. I can stand out in the snow but I would be a miserable b*tch if I was in the rain.

It's the trusty old minivan for me and my SIL. We jam it to the top and then stop back home to dump stuff off. Then it's more shopping! Yeah shopping!

Mine was about 6 or 7 years ago. I was out by myself that year, at Kohls right at opening. I had three or four of their huge bags, plus a FP dollhouse for my niece. I checked out, and went out the side entrance with lower level parking. A very nice man held the door open for me, and said he was just waiting for his wife, it was too much craziness in there for him that morning. I thanked him and went to find my car, attempting to juggle far too much stuff. I was even kicking the dollhouse along b/c I couldn't carry it. Well lo and behold, it was the one time I didn't park downstairs. I parked on the upper level lot. I couldn't walk it outside so I had to drag my crap through the store. The nice man was still at the doors. He asked if I needed help, I told him what happened, we both laughed, and he helped me carry my stuff through the store and out the other exit and to my car. There are still awesome people out there on BF!!!

We'll start at Kohl's, then JCP for the snowglobe, depending on time maybe a quick stop to Disney Store or B&BW in the mall, then to Target. Maybe Kmart then. Then back to the mall I think. Depending on what else I need from other stores like Sports Authority, Ofc Max or Ofc Depot, we can fit them in too. I have two malls very close, so we can hit Sears, Macy's Nordstrom, Von Maur, JCP and Carson's very quickly.

We don't go too crazy, usually about $75 or so.