It begins.
Yesterday I officially started my Christmas list.
Not my Christmas list, but my Christmas list for others. You see, as the Type A portion of my brain grows into an insatiable monster and begins to eat away at the only bits of Type B that remain in my brain squiggles, it has begun to pour over into every single area of my life. I don’t really know when it all started. I remember one time being incredibly Type B. My room was constantly a mess, I never showered, I was always doing things last-minute and pulling all-nighters to complete tasks, and couldn’t ever find anything I needed.
And then somehow, one day, I began to change. I got a dry-erase board and mapped out my months. I started working up a loose idea of a budget every few weeks. I started keeping little to-do lists on post-its. And I began to track my Christmas gift ideas in an Excel spreadsheet.
No joke – straight up Excelin’ it like a nerdy nerd.
Last year, I made a table for each member of my family in Excel and color coded each. I had a column for gift ideas, a column for ones I had secured already, and a running total of how much was spent out of how much I was willing to allot. And while it was lovely and organized, and almost too-devised, apparently my Type A brain monster is growing this year and isn’t satisfied to simply have an Excel sheet, but wants me to start the game 5 months in advance. 5 months in advance!
It seems to be a familial trait. My grandmother shops for Christmas gifts 11 months in advance and my mother has begun to do the same. Or maybe it’s just an old person trait. Perhaps this is just another example of my rapidly advancing age.
I’m a little frightened to know what the Type A monster will be like in even just five years. If I graduated from Christmas Excel spreadsheets to buying 5 months in advance in only a year, it’s just a matter of time before I’m making my bed, regularly doing my laundry, and making something more than a bowl of Frosted Flakes for dinner. Maybe…I’m actually becoming an adult?
Gross. ♣
The Jackie Blog 
Be like me… I do not buy and I do not get Christmas presents. Personally I think it is a waste of time, effort and money. I do not even buy a present for Neville and he does not buy one for me. I would rather donate all the money to Charity.
I detest buying presents for people who do not communicate with me all year. I detest the crowded shops, and I detest the inflated prices.
If I was to spend £500 on presents ..that could feed starving families for years…besides that I do not have £500 …
So although I sympathize with your predicament, there is an easy way out
love p
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Oh, but I just love getting gifts for Christmas. I only buy for my family and I much prefer to give than to receive. Especially with a little niece and nephew to think of now, I’m so incredibly excited
I avoid the crowded shops by shopping online for everything and I can usually knock out the inflated prices that way too. But I definitely see your point with charity!
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I cant imagine buying presents 1 months in advance! Especially for my little boy! His wants change every 5 minutes! Loving how the TYPE A is taking over. You have admit that alothough TYPE A can be quite boring …it makes you feel great 🙂
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11 months not 1 months lol
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I thought woooow 1 month in advance is too soon!? haha
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very true!
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I hope that cell E23, gift suggestions for me, is color coded white for diamonds?
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lol ummmm you didn’t really make the list this year Peg. Sorry – just don’t want you to get your hopes up. Ask your husband (good luck with that *snicker*)
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Yuck. This is one of the reasons why I don’t fancy Christmas time in the States. It’s very much mass consumerism. People go out shopping and end up fighting each other for “deals”. Very very Christmas like…. >_>
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awww but it’s so fun to give people gifts. Just a few heartfelt things to show I’m thinking of them. It’s nice 🙂 It doesn’t have to be all mass-consumerist.
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I agree. Online christmas shopping is the way to go. It takes most of the stress out of the situation, and you get the thrill of “waiting for a package” every few days. I usually start my shopping 2 months in advance and will probably never ever get to the 11 months stage. I mostly buy for my kids. And I completely understand your enthusiasm about showering the little ones with gifts. Just try to maintain your composure and get age-appropriate things. You can always get them the bicycle when they’re old enough to ride it, but not now, dear. 🙂
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Right!? It makes gift giving even MORE fun because I get packages in the mail all the time! Wheeeeeee!
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Great. Now I feel guilty…
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why, exactly?
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Amazon is the way… I’ve been doing amazon for a few years now ( decided to send out my wishlist after my twin brother got me presents I was highly allergic to….. subtle hint do you think? )
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oh man – what terrible presents lol
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Work it! How are you supposed to remember who you have purchased for, or what you got them? I am a super nerd myself and have a folder labeled gifts on my computer with spreadsheets from past Christmas’ so I can compare what I have gotten in the past vs. this year. I also have spreadsheets of what we received for and gave to others for wedding gifts/baby gifts/ etc. so I can gift appropriately and fairly for our large extended family.
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YES.
YESSSSSS.
I love this. You’ve made me happy.
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Presents really do take up a lot of money if bought together… Even if the amount spent is same when bought separately, it brings guilty conscious to all of us… You are following an excellent strategy… M gonna do that do… and hhehehe :-d, you are indeed becoming an adult.. just like me 😉 :O
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Yes I’m certainly hoping that by spreading out the gifts over a few months, I won’t be holding myself and rocking back and forth with my wallet in my hands in December.
But we’ll see 😉
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