10/17/2014 -- Day 23-- Christmas on the brain!

Since I will be out of commission during the biggest shopping weeks of the year I am planning WAY ahead!

I have completed Christmas shopping for my girls, 75% done for Little Man, and about 50% done for my husband.

Growing up we always had huge Christmas's and it was so fun!  It would take us hours to open gifts (we opened them one at a time and everyone watched the others open them).  We would stop halfway through and have a big breakfast, clean up the 1st round of the mess, and then start again!

BUT my husband and I have decided to do it differently.  I had a friend tell me a few years ago that they do 3 gifts because that is how many gifts Christ got.  (I don't count stocking gifts as the three gifts--but they have a set gift set they get in their stocking)

That same friend has even more detailed plans--something they can read, do, and something they want.

I changed my to
#1: Something to do together with Mom & Dad
#2: Something they want
#3: Something to do

In their stockings they get
-an ornament (dealing with something important that happened to them that year)
-Their own soda pop
-Their own bag of chips
-Mint tins-they LOVE mints
-New toothbrushes
-Their own fun band aids
-Fruit snacks

Also we ask Santa to only bring one large family gift.  One year it was money to go on a monthly family date (helped us get to Korea last year).  This year we aren't sure what to ask Santa for...maybe a horse (which would be believed in the spring).

I have a HUGE list of people I always want to give gifts to each year, but never do.

Here is my list

Husband
Squirt
Firecracker
Little Man

Mother in law
Father in law

Father in law
Mother in law

Mother

Grandma Nana
Grandma Bev
Grandma Cluff

Family Name on Amy side
Family Name on Lucas side (this year each person drew a name giving me 5 people to shop for)
Lucas Name
Amy Name
Squirt Name
FireCracker Name
Little Man Name

6 Uncles
7 Aunts

Squirt Teacher
Firecracker Teacher
Principal

11 close friends/cousins

4 neighbors

Visit Teachers (2)
People I Visit Teach (3)
Person I teach with (1)

Home Teachers (2)
People to Home Teach (2)
Bishopric
RS Presidency
Primary Presidency
Stake Presidency

Trash man

Over kill?

Yes I think so!

Thank goodness for the dollar store, but really I do put thought into my gifts and try to get stuff people want.  I know I can cut out lots of these people--and honestly most of them NEVER get their gift even if I do get around to making/buying one for them.

I do a lot homemade (food) gifts, but again so many people are overwhelmed with that stuff lots of it goes to waste.  I have thought of not doing Christmas gifts, but doing Valentine or Halloween gifts instead.  Maybe this year I will do Valentine gifts and just send a family letter out.

But my question is how do you let people know you appreciate them without a junky little gift that takes a lot of time on my part, but gets trashed ASAP--or how not to spend a lot of money on lots of little gifts?