aleighc1

My hubby had to work all day yesterday, and after work went right to TRU. He got there at 10:30 and there were about 150 people in line in front of him. Right before the store opened he said TONS of people rushed the line and by the time he got inside, everything we wanted was gone. He was going to go to Old Navy, but was so frustrated with what happened at TRU, he decided to come home and sleep since he had to leave the house by 5am to go back to work anyhow. I ended up shopping online for Old Navy. I got the things I needed (frost free jacket for my 3 year old because he ripped his winter coat last week, clothes for my baby boy that is growing like a weed, a couple tops for me), but none of the things I wanted. It kept letting me put items in my cart, but when I would go to check out they would suddenly be gone. Then while trying to find things to replace the items that went missing, more items would be gone! Very frustrating. Then I moved on to Amazon and got Psych season 1 and 3 for $12 for DH, and a DVD for one of my kids for $4. DH went shopping again this afternoon, but won't tell me where he went since he was shopping for me. He was really happy on the phone though, so he must have found some good deals!

If he gets a PS3, will he even play the PS2 anymore? If not, perhaps he would be willing to sell the PS2 and everything he has to go with it, and put the money towards the PS3. I also think asking family that would buy for him already to help chip in for it. (I think you said the grandparents are going to help, that's awesome!) If it's the only thing he wants, then he probably won't care if it's the only thing he gets. :) When we decided to buy a Wii (before the price drop), my husband scoured Craigslist everyday until he found a fantastic deal. We payed $350 for a bundle, and when we added up the current retail cost of all the items we got, it would have cost us over $1200. The family selling it had all the systems, and the Wii barely got used, so they decided to get rid of it. If you do happen to come across a good deal on Craigslist, make sure they let you play it before you buy it! If they say no, then you don't want it. My hubby has suddenly been hinting at what a great BlueRay player it is, so it looks like now I have to jump into the world of PS3 and figure out what in the world I'm looking to buy. This thread helps, thanks for starting it!

My mom gave my daughter a vanity made from a school desk. The woman that made it did decoupage flower cut outs around the top, and then she attached a nice fabric all around the sides/back of the desk. She also attached ribbon and silk flowers around the sides/back. It's kind of hard to explain, sorry, but it turned out so cute. You can't even tell when you first look at it that it's a school desk, but it's great because it has the storage area for my daughter to stick all her extra accessories. The vanity came with a small table mirror, but we hung a nice big one on the wall for her. Currently she just uses a little plastic chair at her vanity, but for Christmas I bought her a nice storage ottoman at Walmart, so she will be able to use that instead as it's the perfect height.

I have 6 kids, and they all get the same amount of gifts, and usually spend about the same amount. We take turns opening the gifts under the tree one at a time (stockings are a free for all), but we have a "system" for gifts. Each child gets PJ's on Christmas Eve, then on Christmas day they get 1 gift from Santa, and under the tree they get something they want, something they need, something to wear, something to read. So far the gifts my kids ask for are pretty equal in price, which makes it easy for me. Once they start asking for things that are much more expensive (ie: laptop), I'll still do the same amount of gifts, but their other gifts will be less expensive. The funny thing about my kids is that if they were to get less gifts than everyone else, they wouldn't care, it's all the other kids that would be upset that one of their siblings got less than them! :)

My kids sort of believe. My 8 year old has been questioning it, and I just ask "what do you think?" She goes back and forth on it, and I think this will be her last year to believe. My 5 (almost 6) thinks my husband is Santa. I was about 8 when I stopped believing, but I didn't tell my mom until I was 10. I thought she really enjoyed doing the whole santa thing, so I just let her keep doing it! I'm not sure what my 7 year old believes, but he is special needs and sometimes it can be hard to tell what's going on in his mind. My 3 year old fully believes, and my 1 year old and 5 month old are too young to care.

Oh yes, I change my list often! I have a small notebook that I keep in my purse and have all my lists written in. I write everything in pencil because I know it's very possible that every item on the list will be changed by the time Christmas arrives.

I thought I remember them doing some sales, and then a freebie item. (I believe last year or the year before they were giving away a cookbook)

We do Toys for Tots (even more now that DH's brother is a Marine). Also, my entire extended family all pitch in together and we adopt a couple families at Christmas. (we forgo buying gifts for each other, and use that money instead to buy Christmas for others) One of our families last year had just gotten their very own first appartment. (it was a mom and three children who spent a long time living at a shelter after leaving an abusive husband) We provided gifts for them all (including stockings, ornaments, decorations, etc...), and helped furnish their house and stocked them up on cleaning supplies and other important household items that everyone needs. The children had no idea they were being "adopted" at Christmas. (my mom works at an elementary school, and these kids attend her school. We usually get our families from her school as there are many in need) My mom said they were beaming when they came back from vacation. She said they were so proud of their new clothes, and so happy to be able to tell their friends what they got for Christmas. That was such a fun family to buy for, being able to help them start their lives over. :) I LOVE the hospital idea. Love it. My baby boy was admitted to a children's hospital last month for emergency abdominal surgery, and we stayed for a week. It was so hard, I can't even imagine being there for Christmas. I'm going to look into this at our children's hospital and see what I can do. That is just awesome.

That is awesome! lol! I stick stuff in my kid's closets. They seem to only open the closets if they're throwing stuff in there that they don't want to put away while cleaning their rooms. I also hide things in luggage, file cabinets, our shed, my dresser, etc..... I even will keep small items in my purse. My kids also know though that if they go looking and find something, it goes back!

All my kids (their ages at Christmas will be 8, 7, 6, 3, and 2) will get toothbrush toothpaste bubble bath fun bandaids scotch tape (my kids love tape and always use mine up!) socks and underwear DVD (you can often find kids DVD's on sale on BF for $3-$7, and Walmart always has a cheap DVD section) flashlight yoyo (my 6 year old is the only one that asked for one, but I know if she gets one, everyone will want one) umbrella (same story as above, it one gets one, they will all want one) Then for my girls they'll get maybe a new lip gloss and small body spray, and my boys might get a couple of hot wheels I also have a baby that will be 7 months at Christmas, but he'll just get things like new snack bowls, gerber baby snacks, sleepers, etc..... Just boring baby stuff

A lot of kids I know in that age range love the Flip video recorders. What does she like to do with friends? You could get a bunch of gift cards for those things (shopping, fast food, movies, etc...)

My 8 year old wants the Golden Girls on DVD My 5 year old wants "mopping shoes" like Pippi Longstocking. Supposedly she saw them in the cleaning section at Walmart :)

That is crazy! In my family we have 3 families that have 1 child each. Then there is DH and I; we have 6! I always tell people to please consider group gifts instead of individual gifts. 1.) I don't want people to go broke buying our kids gifts. We chose to have that many, and we don't expect anyone to make financial sacrifices to give them presents. 2.) It cuts down on clutter. With 6 kids, the toys pile up FAST. They just don't need that much stuff. Some family members go with a group gift (usually a game or a DVD, then something small for each kids that costs under $5), and some still buy gifts for each of them. I really don't care what people spend, and most importantly, my kids don't care either. Tell your sister the money just is not there to do the gifts in that price range. Perhaps tell her what you can afford to spend, and then suggest she think about doing the same for your child. If she gets huffy, oh well. It's silly to go in debt for Christmas presents.

Didn't find the razor, but I did find the Candy Land Castle game for $5. The price of that game at TRU right now is $20. It's a fun game for the 2-3 year old crowd. :)

My kids and husband have been listening to Christmas music since JUNE! My kids have also written their letters to Santa, and my younger daughter has started making ornaments. I'm wondering if they will all be sick of Christmas by the time we actually get to it? lol!

Opening at midnight is great because that means either the hubby or I will have a chance to do a little BF shopping between the time he gets off work in the evening on Thanksgiving and has to be back at work early Friday morning!

oohhh, I want snow!! We've had unusually warm and dry weather here in the PNW, I'd just love a good thunderstorm at this point!

just a bit north of Seattle, WA (Everett, Lynnwood area)

me too! That is also my vow this year. (although there have been a couple years that I didn't get to go due to circumstances beyond my control)

I will shop at stores that say Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays because, for me, shopping and gifts are a minor part of Christmas. My family is Christian, and for us, celebrating the birth of Christ is more important than the presents. (but yes, we do give gifts to our children and do other things that would be considered part of the "commercial" side of Christmas) I'm not offended if someone wishes me Happy Holidays, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy Hannukah, etc.... To me, when someone says any of these things, they are wishing me joy and merriment. Even if that isn't my holiday, I gladly accept their well wishes and wish the same back to them. I do not think that employees should get in trouble though if they say Merry Christmas instead of Happy Holidays, as I don't believe anyone should not be allowed to recognize their own holiday. If those that celebrate Hannukah want to see Menorahs put up in public places that also put up Christmas trees, I don't see a problem with that. I honestly do not pay attention to which stores do and don't say Christmas. When I walk into a store and see decorations, lights, and items that will become presents under my tree, I automatically think Christmas because that's my holiday, and no store can diminish it's meaning to me by the words they choose to say or not say.

Does the Thanksgiving ad usually come out the Wednesday before or on Thanksgiving morning with all the other ads? I know it will be posted here first, I just want to make sure I have a print copy in hand. I almost never shop Kmart, but I have one right around the corner and usually can find a few good deals on T-Day before I start cooking

Anything my kids used to have, never played with, and then got rid of. Example: my girls used to have TONS of Polly Pockets. They never played with them so I bagged them all up and sent them to GoodWill. They didn't care one tiny bit when I got rid of them, and have not even mentioned them once since then either. (got rid of them a little over a year ago) Suddenly now my older DD is asking for them for Christmas. Not gonna happen, especially since she's wanting me to invest in practically the entire American Girl collection.

Wii games a new Wii remote or 2 clothes for my kids small TVs (one for the boy's room, one for the girl's room) DVD's

Will Wii remotes go on sale?

Our Costco had Christmas trees and some other Christmas stuff out when I went on Tuesday. The Dollar Tree had stuff out a couple weeks ago.