jillandjustin

Harbor Freight stores will be open at 7 a.m. Friday, Sat, and Sun. Trying to keep this a secret from DH

The D is for Darling (or Darned, depending on your mood:cheesy:) then H Husband D Daughter S Son SD Step daughter SS Step son IL in law (M Mother, S sister, B brother) GD/S God daughter/son

Just have to say I love your username!

Yeah, I don't know why he doesn't. He is into EVERYTHING else He seems to understand Santa...my school principal comes to the teachers' houses as Santa every year...We also live in a really old house that creaks with every step, so there is no sneaking Maybe that will come in handy when they are teenagers

We pay $2 for the Sunday paper! ERGH.

For about 6 years or so now, my husband and I have picked our own Christmas gifts (we go out to eat for our anniversary and each other's birthdays to our favorite restaurant sans children {The Rustic Oak in North Haven CT, if anyone is interested}). We only get one gift each, usually in the $20-40 range. We really try to make Christmas/Hanukkah about the kids in the family. This year, he is "getting" me two books I've wanted, and he is "getting" a new Dale Jr. hat. We pretend, for the kids, that Santa brings them.

Not campers....Bless those of you that do it! Hubby Coffee, Water Ads (LOVE the index card idea BUT you need the WHOLE ad for price-match at WM and Target) Gloves/Coats/Scarves/Hats etc. SNEAKERS (I do NOT get women who insist on shopping in heels!)

LOVE the ironing board idea! I usually sit with my back against a radiator (nice and warm ) and wrapping between my legs. Here's a tip for you early wrappers like me: I wrap stuff going to each house (not each person, each location) in color coded paper. Then, each person within that house gets a different bow. So, for example, people who will be at my mom's Christmas Eve are all wrapped in a red paper. My middle sister's two gifts have green bows, my youngest sister's two gifts have blue bows. I never use gift tags. I just remember the color bows (they are always the same...when I started, I wrote initials on the bottoms of the bows). I group each "house"'s items together in the closet. Then, as we pack up to go to each place, I put all the color coded gifts into a laundry basket. This keeps them from rolling around the back of the SUV and makes it a whole lot easier to carry them all together over snow and ice. Hope that helps!

I was reading another thread about wrapping presents and then hiding them. My son is 3, so he isn't really ready to start searching for hiding places yet. I put all the wrapped gifts on a shelf in the spare bedroom closet. It got me thinking about my mom (who had 3 DD's) and her hiding spots. Since I'm 7 and 10 years older than my sisters, I was in on a lot her hiding: Behind rarely used small appliances in the kitchen cabinets Under the out of season clothes in the basement Under the spare towels in the linen closet In my Dad's sock drawer and tool box My closet (I had my own room and my sisters shared one) Just wondering what creative places you all use?

We all kinda have specific things we bring to Thanksgiving (my aunt's), Hanukkah (my MIL's), and Christmas (my mom's). For Thanksgiving, I make banana bread, fudge, and cheesecake. For Christmas, I make fudge, chocolate crinkles, Russian teacakes, and jelly thumbprints.

At this point, ANY! LOL. Seriously, Walmart, Target, TRU, Walgreens

Not buy junk because it's on sale. Not buy something for someone that already's bought because it's on sale. Not let other people's nasty attitudes get me down.

Here is the list of locations: http://www4.toysrus.com/our/tru/prom/2009HolidayExpress/index.cfm

Anything Twilight!

I know I'm in the minority here, but I am not a big fan of Christmas music. Allow me to explain. One evening in December, I came home from a party in which I might have consumed alcohol while underage (shame on me, I know:o). My mother, knowing I would wake up with a wicked headache, started blaring Christmas music at 5 a.m. Since then, I can only stomach (get it? ) a little at a time.

We have a Toyz coming to the Milford CT mall in the former KB location (also one in Meriden). I guess they are not affiliated with TRU, as those are Holiday Express...

Just got home from the school football game : FROZEN SOLID

My Mom still does stockings for us (DD 29, 22, 19). She puts in toothbrushes, pens, razors, chapstick, gum, etc.

Already started

My sister once really needed brakes for her car, so she asked us to chip in and pay for them rather than get her a gift, which we all did

I'm not a big fan of Kohl's (Orange CT). As mentioned above, the prices seem to change daily, credit card customers get much better treatment, and there are LONG lines (not just on BF!) The only thing I really buy there are clothes for DS3, and only when my mother has the Kohl's cash AND they have a good sale. Otherwise, thumbs down.

Tell your BF story here

Clark Howard: Price wars making holiday shopping a little cheaper http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/personal/10/08/howard.holiday.shopping/index.html Price Wars! Yay!

Hmmm, well, last year at Home Depot, there were a few of us hanging out at the door waiting for them to open (they were half an hour late opening the door ). Two of the guys headed over to Dunkin Donuts to get everyone coffee and munckins. So there we are laughing and joking about the madness at TRU and Walmart, and we're here eating donuts and drinking coffee . The doors finally open. We all walk in and this b*itchy assistant manager says we have to throw away the DD (not one of us had ever been told HD doesn't allow food or drink). So the guy who went to DD tells her if we have to throw it out, you have to give us all gift cards for the cost of it, right now. Of course she refused and told us to chuck it all. When we got home, I emailed HD corporate. A week later, I got a $50 gift card. When we went to spend it, I made sure to find the evil woman and tell her thanks for the new saw!

Yes, they opened at 3 a.m. We got there around 5 thinking we'd hang out til the hardcore BFers got in and avoid the craziness. We found it already opened. I asked an employee who said they opened at 3. Not sure if it was planned or not. My student cashier said there has been "gossip" (her word) about a midnight opening, but right now, nothing set in stone. One of the issues is most of those cashier are under 18, and can't work after 10 p.m. (CT law at least), so when can they technically start the day ? She'll let me know when she hears anything.