Author Topic: How Early Do You Shop for Christmas Gifts?  (Read 370 times)

Offline Morrigan

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How Early Do You Shop for Christmas Gifts?
« on: June 13, 2018, 02:51:28 pm »
I know this is crazy, but I start shopping for Christmas gifts now. I have 18 people on my side of the family alone (I have 4 siblings, my parents, my sibling's spouses, and 4 nieces and one nephew. I also add my best friend to the mix), and I find if I buy a gift each paycheque, I still spend the same amount, but it's not so painful because it's not all at once.

My husband's family typically doesn't do a gift exchange (his mom doesn't celebrate holidays for religious reasons), but last year, we found ourselves doing a gift exchange with his brother and sister in law. I personally love buying gifts for people - I've already bought three of my nieces a gift, and one of my sister's has a Christmas gift bought for her as well.

Not so much an etiquette thing, as just for my own curiosity.

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Offline Airelenaren

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Re: How Early Do You Shop for Christmas Gifts?
« Reply #1 on: June 13, 2018, 03:06:18 pm »
For me, it depends on how early I can tell what to get the person. I have bought the first two gifts for friends who are certain not to buy something similar during the remaining months. For those who are more likely to buy things themselves or change interests until then, I wait until a month or two prior. (If they still get the same thing after that, it's out of my hands.)

I actually bought a "test gift" for someone this year, i.e. I wanted to take a closer look at it and keep it if it's not as good as I thought it would be. Which turned out to be a good idea, because upon closer inspection it had a few aspects that would likely ruin it for the person I had intended it for. So I will keep it and find them something else.
« Last Edit: June 13, 2018, 03:11:01 pm by Airelenaren »
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Offline Amara

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Re: How Early Do You Shop for Christmas Gifts?
« Reply #2 on: June 13, 2018, 03:23:40 pm »
I not only do this but I love to--which is odd considering the fact I do not like to shop. (I can't reconcile the two; it's just the way it is.) ::) I don't specifically go to shop for gifts; rather, what I do is keep a look out. For example, I know the next time I go to Trader Joe's I am picking up several of their camel and goat soaps. (I love these fragrance-free soaps on my own face so will introduce others to them. And at $1.99 a bar, I can afford to put one in each stocking.) I also plan to begin making the herb salts and oils and vinegars soon. And buy the chapsticks. I don't yet have ideas for the real gifts but if I can get the stocking stuffers filled up that's a good start. I plan to hit the 99 Cents store this weekend too.
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Offline Morrigan

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Re: How Early Do You Shop for Christmas Gifts?
« Reply #3 on: June 13, 2018, 03:46:00 pm »
For each of my nieces, I came across the 35th Anniversary Edition of the vintage My Little Ponies. Two of my nieces are 3, and one of my nieces is two, so I got each of them a different My Little Pony. I bought them early because I found them (and didn't know if they'd be at the store still when I got back from my trip), and I know they like toys - plus it's something my sister in laws wouldn't get for them. :) I ended up picking one up for a friend of mine, because like me, she had My Little Ponies as a kid, and wanted one for her daughter. :)

I agree that it depends on the person too - one of my brothers can be hard to buy for, but he loves artisan coffee. I wait until I go to a Christmas Craft Market here, and then I buy him that coffee. (I get him a different flavour to try each year).

Offline AliciaLynette

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Re: How Early Do You Shop for Christmas Gifts?
« Reply #4 on: June 13, 2018, 06:09:15 pm »
I shop throughout the year for Christmas and birthdays - in a 'Ooh, I think So-and-So would like that!' way.  I also pick up random gift stuff - cosmetics/wash stuff/scarves/ornaments/cds/films/etc so that if a gift-giving occasion occurs that I wasn't expecting, I have something on hand if I can't get to the shops.

I keep it all in a box, and just rummage through to find whatever when needed.  Makes life a lot easier, and I only need to go out in the Christmas rush if there's anything specific I need.

Offline Lynn2000

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Re: How Early Do You Shop for Christmas Gifts?
« Reply #5 on: June 13, 2018, 07:40:49 pm »
Among people I know, I shop for Christmas gifts early, but you guys have me beat! :) I start shopping at the beginning of November and usually have almost everything purchased before the end of the month. Mostly I get it from Amazon, including ebooks for Kindles, then a couple of local items, and if I'm out with the person and they find something cool I might buy it for them as an additional gift.

I have a pretty small list--really just my parents. So there's not a lot of hunting and guessing. I should probably shop LATER, because my apartment is so small, I really have nowhere convenient to store even a few extra items until Christmas, so they just sit there in my way longer.

I SO want those My Little Ponies! ::looks them up on Amazon:: I had Butterscotch for sure, plus a million others. On the one hand it feels wrong that toys I played with as a child are now vintage. On the other hand, if they are being reissued as such, I'm all for that. Usually the modern versions of My Little Pony, Strawberry Shortcake, etc. just look weird to me.
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Offline Trishlovesdolphins

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Re: How Early Do You Shop for Christmas Gifts?
« Reply #6 on: June 14, 2018, 11:25:15 am »
I'll probably start soon. I tend to sorta shop year round, but I haven't had anything catch my eye yet. I like to have all the "mom and dad" stuff bought by beginning of November, then I go get whatever they ask Santa for. Sometimes I've lucked out and picked it up already, sometimes they see it after I've finished my other shopping.

I don't know how much longer I can do it though, they're both getting to the age that they'll want to snoop and my closet isn't the best hiding place.
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Offline corgiqueen

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Re: How Early Do You Shop for Christmas Gifts?
« Reply #7 on: June 15, 2018, 09:52:14 am »
 I don’t buy for many people at all; my mom, and a few cousins. But lately, for the cousins, my mom and I have started sending them one larger gift from both of us. Since they live out of state, its usually some gourmet food goodies which they all love.

That being said, I kind of shop year round for my mom. We each have running “wish/gift” lists, so if I find something on sale that’s on her list, or see something not on the list but I know she’ll like, I’ll just get it. It helps me spread out my spending a bit too. She does that for me as well. We both also use gift cards, promos etc. to buy each other’s gifts, which is fine as we both like to save money 😊

I also exchange bday gifts with my cousins, and one I love buying for as we have similar tastes, so I will buy for her throughout the year too. of course that sometimes come back to bite me, as I had one thing for her bday this year, but I had put it away, out of site, so when it came time to send her gift, I had forgotten all about it! And not the first time too! This year she got something I bought for her last year and “lost”


Offline Amara

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Re: How Early Do You Shop for Christmas Gifts?
« Reply #8 on: June 15, 2018, 11:01:13 am »
I am thinking about buying myself gifts for the next several months as well. I've got things bookmarked on the computer that I'd like and it would be wonderful to see things under my tree that either I or my cats have gotten for me. (We have excellent taste.) :D The hard part might be wrapping them up and putting them in the closet.
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Offline Morrigan

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Re: How Early Do You Shop for Christmas Gifts?
« Reply #9 on: June 15, 2018, 11:01:53 pm »
I'll probably start soon. I tend to sorta shop year round, but I haven't had anything catch my eye yet. I like to have all the "mom and dad" stuff bought by beginning of November, then I go get whatever they ask Santa for. Sometimes I've lucked out and picked it up already, sometimes they see it after I've finished my other shopping.

I don't know how much longer I can do it though, they're both getting to the age that they'll want to snoop and my closet isn't the best hiding place.

My brother knew all of our Christmas gifts ahead of time! When he was older, he was living with my grandparents, and my grandma rented an empty storage space and hid all of the gifts up there. She told him 'Now Jamie, don't you go into my closet when I'm away." She got such a kick out of knowing that my brother was searching for his Christmas gifts, and she had hidden them elsewhere.
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Offline Lynn2000

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Re: How Early Do You Shop for Christmas Gifts?
« Reply #10 on: June 15, 2018, 11:23:43 pm »
I was very snoopy as a kid, but I quickly realized that if I snooped and spoiled the surprise, I had no one to blame but myself if it wasn't as much fun on Christmas morning. I think that would be a good lesson for kids--maybe don't even wrap their gifts, if they've snooped and found them (but definitely make them wait until Christmas morning, or whenever you usually have presents). The only problem would be if some kids snoop and then spoil the surprise for the ones who refrained, because that isn't fair.

Offline Amara

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Re: How Early Do You Shop for Christmas Gifts?
« Reply #11 on: June 22, 2018, 12:29:07 pm »
Not gifts but I have been shopping on and off for Christmas decorations since about March. It began when I read a blog about the 2017 holidays and the blogger wrote about the white birch tree she had seen, a few months before, at RH. It was priced rather high and she had to pass it by in favor of a slightly less great one at Amazon.

Being as it was March I decided to check out the RH link and wonder of wonders, they still have them (in 2, 3, 5 and 9 feet heights) at a little less half the original price, an absolute bargain! I debated for a day over the size and ended up ordering the 3-foot one, which arrived soon thereafter and is now in storage awaiting the 2018 season. But the funny thing is that when I went back the same day it arrived to see about getting the smaller one the entire page had disappeared. I guess someone had failed to take the page down earlier and they didn't like selling them inexpensively.

But that bargain drove me to consider looking for discounted Christmas decor that might otherwise be outside my budget. I am particular about what and how much I allow in my home so I can look at a lot without getting anything but pleasure and amusement. Did you know there are online stores, huge ones, that do nothing but Christmas? And that other stores have these items on sale even now?

I have scoured Etsy a couple of times looking for "red Christmas ornaments" and seen a lot but only purchased three (I think) items. I have a lipstick red Christmas tree with red lights and am decorating it only with red ornaments with a strong preference for simple antique styes such as mercury glass, ribbed or plain. My latest arrived yesterday. I think I will probably stop looking as I think I am getting close to enough (but not too much) for the tree.


Offline Lynn2000

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Re: How Early Do You Shop for Christmas Gifts?
« Reply #12 on: June 22, 2018, 01:43:37 pm »
That reminds me of a story. My parents have always had artificial Christmas trees. The one they've had for the last few years is nice, but really large and heavy when trying to set it up or take it down--it breaks down into three massive pieces and some hardware. Every year I have to help them set it up and it's such a pain, and I worried about them putting it away on their own.

So in 2015 I suggested that after Christmas, when the artificial trees go on sale, we should buy one or even two much smaller ones, which would hopefully hold the same number of decorations but be easier to handle, and we could get rid of the big one. So just after Christmas 2015 we went to the store and got two smaller trees that were on sale.

Fast-forward to Christmastime 2016. I started talking to my mom about the two smaller trees, and she's like, "What are you talking about?" My dad remembered buying one, but only one, not two; and my mom didn't remember getting them at all. Then we had to try and figure out where they might be stored. Fortunately, we found the two new, smaller trees out in the garage, and they were indeed easier to set up. Then my mom was like, "Well, I don't want to get rid of the big tree yet," even though that was the point!

So for the past two years (2016 and 2017) we have set up THREE trees, including the big one that's a pain. And just so you know, we didn't have to buy any new ornaments. We have more than enough for 3 trees already!

Someone else said that buying for Christmas too early can lead you to forget what you already bought! Definitely true in this case. That has also happened with regular gifts. Poor Curious George had to sit in the closet for two months because someone forgot they'd bought him and then didn't see him when wrapping presents. There's also been some duplicate presents--more than once I've gotten the same book twice at the same Christmas from my mom. We try to be good-humored about it.
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Offline Amara

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Re: How Early Do You Shop for Christmas Gifts?
« Reply #13 on: June 22, 2018, 03:43:02 pm »
That is hilarious, Lynn. Three trees! Is there room enough?

Offline Lynn2000

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Re: How Early Do You Shop for Christmas Gifts?
« Reply #14 on: June 22, 2018, 03:46:11 pm »
So far. The big one goes at one end of the room and the two smaller ones at the other end. We put the presents under the smaller ones, because that's the only place there's room for people to gather. The big one takes up all the space in its part.

What I don't get is why they both agreed to this plan initially, and we all went to the store and picked out the trees that they bought... and it was such a non-event that neither one could remember the purpose of it even. ::face palm:: Like, what else can I talk them into buying...
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