Christmas 2013- what will you do differently?

[dreamin_disney]

Well I bought a lot of boxes, bags, mini cupcake holders, mini cupcake cardboard stands, money/giftcard holders during this xmas2012 after clearance
sale.

2012 I was very unorganized due to some medical issues /appts. I was late writing out my xmas cards, buying gifts and wrappping


What I plan on doing differently for Christmas 2013

1. Start xmas account for dd/dh
2. start xmas account for everyone else
3. buy lil stocking stuffing for dd and dh through the year
4. place all stocking stuffers in one place hidden in a box or bag
instead of all over the place(eliminates losing stuff)
5. Have dd/dh make a list 2-3 month inadvance
6. Wrap as I shop. It gets to crazy wrapping everything Christmas eve at
2am-3am(actually early christmas morning
7. Place all wrapped gifts in one hidden area in a bag or box(every year we
things we forgot to wrap and give to dd. once found a toy 2-3 yrs later)
8. Make a list for family and friends we need to shop for( no last minute
shopping for forgotten gifts)
9. Putting all receipts in one place for returns
10.have everything completed and wrapped 1-2 weeks before xmas
11. have a list of food/treats I will be making for xmas eve
12.enjoy the holiday season without last minute craziness

I know many of you already do this but I dont and I know there are many others out there just like me-lol! Would love to hear what you will do for 2013

 

[luv2mickey]

Your right, I already do those things but let me share something else that organized my gift buying.

If you have a smart phone there are apps for organizing gifts. I found a free Christmas gift organizing app and I make profiles for everyone I buy for, then as I buy a gift I add it under the person's name with the cost. The app eliminates forgetting about what you bought or if your standing in a store trying to remember what you bought for someone's stocking just look on your phone.

 

[pigletto]

I have quite a few ideas kicking around in my head.
This Christmas wasn't too unorganized. I always wrap as I shop. Dh and I have a few nights where we throw in a movie and sit downstairs and wrap after the kids go to bed.
We wrapped on Christmas Eve after the kids went to bed ONCE. We felt sick we were so tired from 4 hours sleep on Christmas morning. It cured us of ever doing that again.

Things I am kicking around..

A trip instead of big gifts. I don't know if my family is there yet, but I would love to just get them 4 or 5 smaller presents to open (books or jammies etc) and then surprise them with a cruise. They have been pretty resistant to the idea so far but my husband and I feel there is enough "stuff" in this house and it's the way to go.

Either way, I think a Christmas account is a fabulous idea. If it ends up being a Christmas trip account.. even better.
Next year dh graduates a program he's been working on for 3.5 years in December. I will be a month away from my 40th birthday and I think it would be a perfect trip year. Not over the actual holiday because I would miss family but just before or after.

 

[KayW]

Definitely wrap as I buy. I got my nieces origami earrings early in Nov. some itunes cards, and a book. Of course they were all bought at totally sep. times. Thank goodness for gift bags!

Would love to do a trip Christmas week, but not sure if we are there age wise yet. Another year or two.

 

[mimmi]

I will try to be more organized. One Christmas present for my daughter is still missing, I have searched the entire house but didn't find it .

We had our traditional christmas party later than usually, 12/08 instead of the last saturday in November, so the party togeter with 5 exams at the university and the Christmas get together I organize for my daughter's school was too much for me.
I didn't visit even one Christmas market, didn't bake as many cookies as usually and shopped for presents until the last minute (which resulted in the missing gift).
Next year we will be having the party in November again, i will do only three exams and enjoy our Christmas time.

 

[Ginny Favers]

I have this problem with being TOO organized. I go out and buy gifts as I see them early, knowing I can give them for Christmas. But I always forget how good the sales can be close to Christmas. I was done with my shopping on Black Friday and yet I kept seeing so many good sales on Amazon and elsewhere that I ended up buying more than I planned. I am thinking that next year I might not start until later so that I don't fall into the trap of buying more than I really need.

 

[la79al]

Next year I am thinking about doing stockings on St Nicholas day. And filling the stockings with more snacks and money for each of my girls to do their Christmas shopping with. DD4 decided about a week before Christmas that she wanted to shop for a lot of people and by then the budget was gone.
I am also planning on doing a trip as a big gift for the family instead of a bunch of smaller gifts. Yesterday, 2 days after Christmas, my girls couldn't tell you more than 2 (of about 15) things they got for Christmas. And they haven't really played with anything for more than 5 minutes.
I am hoping next year to have a list of foods and ingredients for all the gatherings well beforehand. I got all my shopping done relatively early this year but still stressed out and had to hit the stores last minute for food items.
I want to have some meals put together in the freezer for all the days when things get crazy and then I realize, just before bed, that I have to feed the kids.
I want to make sure I keep some money in my budget for after Christmas clearance stuff. I usually want at least one roll of wrapping paper and my MIL always wants the bath sets and the singing Christmas characters so those are easy to pick up the 26th for next year.
Lastly, I want to come up with a list of Christmas crafts that I want to do with my girls and buy supplies through the year when they are on sale (same with baking supplies that will keep).

 

[mrsbornkuntry]

I am going to buy less stocking stuffers, the kids' stockings were overflowing and I still had to put some stuff away for Easter. I am going to use the paper bag idea where you put all of the stuffers in a paper lunch bag and when it's full the stocking is probably full.

I am not going to stress over MIL's present. Every year I listen to her talk and think about what she might like to have based on her interests and needs. She got DH and I a Darden gift card and a Home Depot gift card.

Otherwise my usual shopping habits worked pretty well so I'm going to stick with what I'm doing.

 

[Jenny3]

Scale down. I went a little nuts this Christmas and am now feeling quite sick over what I spent. I think my issue is that I set a certain budget for a person (say $50) then I keep shopping until I hit that limit. So even if I get a $50 sweater on sale for $25; I'll buy something else for $25 to reach my budget instead of banking the savings.

I will also open boxes and wrap as I go. I did 90% of my shopping online this year; every time I received a box in the mail, it was put in a pile unopened. My basement looked like a UPS warehouse, LOL I wasn't as organized as usual and ended up double-buying for a few people as I just couldn't remember what was in those boxes!

 

[karice2]

Next year, I will not cook anything. We are going out for dinner. I have been hosting for over 12 years. Told my family that the kitchen is closed.

I will also not be buying any gifts. I don't have kids, my parents don't need anything and neither does my grandma. Just spending time with my family not buying gifts and eating out.

 

[wiigirl]

More organized and scale back the offers to back things.

 

[februarydisgoer]

I'm trying to convince my family to go to Disney World for Christmas next year. We all love Disney and I hear Santa knows just where it is to deliver gifts to my nephews.

 

[sarahlovesmickey]

Well, I went a bit nuts this year. My little business really took off this season so cash was rolling in nicely, but in hindsight, I spent WAY more than we had in years past. The great thing was every gift was paid for in cash--no getting the money from our checking or savings account!

I also wish I had been a bit more organized about what gifts I had got for what person. Next year I will make a list as I get gifts so I can just whip it out in the store and see what I've already bought.

ANother one (as previous posters mentioned), I would wrap as I go. Because my business was so busy and my hubby was gone for a month on Army related duty, I got VERY behind with not only gift wrapping but housekeeping in general. So he came home on December 21st after being gone a month and the house looked like a tornado hit it and our bedroom looked like MACY'S! LOL

 

[sarahlovesmickey]

I'm trying to convince my family to go to Disney World for Christmas next year. We all love Disney and I hear Santa knows just where it is to deliver gifts to my nephews.

I was just talking to my hubby about this last night! We may do it in a few years.

 

[mom2t]

Buy less for my son. I was sick about how much we spent. Most of what I bought was on sale but it still added up. Going to make a list and stick to it.

 

[angierae]

Well, since DD is graduating high school in May, I told her that she's getting cash and maybe some gift cards for things like gasoline next Christmas, but not piles and piles of presents. We doubled her Christmas budget this year for her last "Christmas as a Kid" and Christmas will be MUCH different next year.

She's totally okay with this, btw, so I'm not being cruel.

 

[mfd25wife]

Plan better. I'm usually almost done with everything except cooking by the Sunday after Thanksgiving. I wasn't this year due to a WDW trip Thanksgiving week and staying with a friend at the hospital for a week. I didn't take the time to do more than set a limit on spending. While we held the cost down, I think it could have been better since I bought based on a person's likes and that limit instead of also seeing if I could keep it less than that amount. I also sent cards out at the last minute, which I hate. They weren't as pretty. All in all, it was a good Christmas but felt thrown together and maybe could have been more economical. I am proud of myself on DD. We spent more than we should have but it was on one really expensive item that can last her for years if she takes care of it and a nice coat we got 50% off because Northface discountinued the color. She's 20 so we are looking at things knowing she will move out when she finishes college in a couple of years.

 

[goofyredraider]

Next year will be a lot different. We are going to Disney from December 17-26 to celebrate christmas, our 15th anniversary, and my birthday. Because of this, I'll downsize even more than what I did this year. I plan to pack 5 gifts each from us to take to Disney (we are driving) to open christmas morning, santa stockings there with a note that their gifts have been delivered at home, and have my sister set up our house.

In prep for this, yesterday I hit the wm and target clearance and bout a 32" fiberoptic tree for $6 and decor for it (ribbon,ornaments, tree skirt) for $6, Disney wrapping paper (we usually do a theme every year- so I picked up Disney paper for next because it seems fitting! A roll for each of us- cars, toy story, pooh, tink, mickey, and Cinderella and matching tags), and stockings to take with us (.50 each). Oh and a Mickey cookies and milk set for $3...lol

 

[luvsJack]

A lot! I started a thread before Christmas about buying throughout the year and I have already started a list of what I willbe buying through the year. And dh and I have decided on an amount that will be put back each week for the holidays.

I want to be able to have more dun shopping trips with dd during the holidays and less frantic "what do I buy?" trips to the mall while dealing with all the other frantic shoppers on the 23rd.

I plan to make sure to include gift cards for everyone too. That after Christmas shopping trip, lunch and a movie was missed this year.

oh and I plan to be finished with gift buying and wrapping early enough to make more time for the fun stuff. Parades, visits to Santa, making cookies and candy. and all the other making memories with the family without thinking about what needs to be done.

 

[bababear_50]

I am already thinking about this.

We have decided that as much as we are looking forward to our Disney trip next week we are not going to Disney twice a year anymore.
We will still continue to do our yearly "Disney Spring Break" trip and that's it.
For us Christmas is just too expensive a time to be also trying to pay for a Disney trip. We might take a few days to enjoy a theater show in town and maybe venture out to Niagara Falls for a few days.

The kids loved the gift cards,they received this year but we are finding they are not as flexible to use--always some amount left over on the card and sooooo......

next year I am making small Christmas tree money holders..
kind of like this one
that way they can happily shop the day after Christmas and maybe get a few bargains.


Hugs Mel





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