sevirj

A couple years ago a local radio station got a tour bus and invited people to come out to go ride around looking at people's decorations. The called it the "Tacky Tinsel Tour" They even handed out hot chocolate & hot apple cider.

I haven't used a cart before because I only grab a couple items per store, plus I would be afraid that if I turned my back to grab something, somebody might snag something out of my cart. My wife told me the other day that she is thinking about going out with me this year, so maybe if there are 2 of us, we can use the cart, & get more stuff in 1 trip rather than going back later.

I still have a few Transformers from when I was a kid. I had Optimus Prime (1st generation) sitting on my desk at work, and all the guys would walk by and say "Is that what I think it is?" and want to play with it!

We usually order paper from my daughter's school fundraiser (whatever's pretty), and then when we run out, we make a run to Wal-Mart for any additional paper that's needed. The only exception to what we order is that every year we buy SpongeBob SquarePants paper for my nephew.

Depending on how far along she was, I would be afraid for my wife to go out on BF. Of course, I'd be more afraid I'd have to hurt somebody if she was with me and something happened

I am just starting to stress out now, thinking of everybody that we have to buy for. My wife asked me a couple days ago what to get mom. I just froze for a second, because I couldn't think of a thing! It just snowballed from there, "what do I give this person, what about that person?" Gonna drive me crazy!

We bought one for our daughter a couple years ago. We make sure that (most of the time) only 1 person is jumping at a time. It's funny, my wife was so peculiar about it that she makes parents write down that they will not sue us if their kid gets hurt.

Well, if I had to tie myself to a chimney to put them up, I would leave them up too! But just like you, I would only light them up during Christmas.

OMG you just reminded me! There is a house that I pass by on my way home from work that has those icicle lights around the top of the house, and they leave them lit up all year long.

Do you leave any of your Christmas decorations up year-round? A friend of my dad's has a room toward the front of his house that is not regularly used that he keeps decorated for Christmas all year long. Christmas tree, decorations, the works. It's not for storage purposes, it is actually his "Christmas Room." He goes in every so often to dust & straighten things up, but doesn't really use the room until the holidays when friends & family come over. It's funny to me because when I was over at his house one day during the summer helping him do some yard work, I walked by the window and noticed the tree. I just had to ask him what the deal was. He said one year he didn't feel like taking all the decorations down, so he just left them, and they have been there ever since.

We leave out milk & cookies for Santa and a Carrot for Rudolph

Off and on for about 15 years

It's a little far for me too. I'm getting up early for BF, but not early enough to want to drive THAT far!! Besides, we went there a few months ago, and except for maybe a handful of stores, we weren't really all that impressed with the prices.

Usually I just grab something from the fridge or the pantry as I run out the door, and then depending on the time, I'll stop somewhere during the day in between stores for a bite.

Growing up I loved to watch the parades on TV. Nowadays, I don't get to watch them as often, and dd doesn't really enjoy them.

A family friend gave my wife a jar with some sort of homemade cookie mix last Christmas (can't remember what kind). Instead of the ingredients being pre-mixed, they were still separated in the jar. It kinda looked like one of those sand sculptures that kids make in art class. It had a ribbon around the top w/a bow and I thought it was a great idea.

Nowadays, the wife & I always try to be done shopping by Dec 15th, but when I was working @ Wal-mart my (then) girlfriend would always call me about an hour or so before I was scheduled to leave on Christmas Eve to pick up some last minute item for Uncle what's his name, or some other relative that showed up unexpectedly.

Do any of you folks decorate for fall? My wife & I always go out around the end of September / beginning of October to get some bales of hay, pumpkins, flowers and cornstalks to decorate the yard.

Just as soon as it starts getting chilly outside, my wife heads to the candle store to pick up some pumpkin/spice/cider -smelling candles. That always gets me in the mood for fall and the upcoming holidays!

Yeah there should definitely be an obstacle course through the aisles involved: shopping carts, folks in those electric carts rolling around, little kids throwing toys, the works!

We have a tax-free weekend before school starts on school supplies, computer items, & clothes. The only things is, some of the schools do not send out their "this is what your kid needs this year for school" lists until after the tax-free weekend

If you (or someone you know) is handy w/Photoshop, you can put your written info on the picture itself (names, greeting, etc), then have regular reprints made, and stuff them into your own Christmas cards. If you choose to use the postcard style pictures with the greeting printed on the side, be sure to go somewhere that actually prints the greeting at the same time that the picture is printed (from the actual photo printer) instead of somewhere that prints the greeting separate with the foil machine. It can take longer for them, and sometimes the imprinting is not consistent. Also, don't wait until the last minute to have them printed. If there is high demand for people ordering cards where you have them printed, you might not get them in time to send out early enough that people get them before Christmas

This wasn't a great deal per se, but more of a good luck thing: Last year at Wal-mart, by the time I got back to the electronics dept, all of the Game Boys were gone. I asked an employee if perhaps there any in the actual game case instead of out for BF like the rest, and she found one!!

My plan right now is to be at Wal-mart 1st thing BF, and then the rest of the day depends on how the ads shape up

My church choir has an annual performance around the 2nd weekend of December. We usually have as many as 250 singers in the choir performing old & new Christmas songs.