Who's done with their Christmas shopping?

Hi everyone!!

I've been done since April with my holiday shopping for my nieces and nephews. I broke my record from last year AND I even spent less money this year as well. I honestly had no intention of shopping really but I was out and about and kept on seeing all of these great bargains so I figured what the heck.

Then in May I was rushed to the ER with an abdominal abscess that had to be drained & I was in the hospital for 2 days hooked up to an IV antibiotic & then sent home with a visiting RN to pack the wound. To make a long story short...the darn thing never healed and I didn't respond to the stronger treatment so the surgeon told me that he needed to do exploratory surgery to find the cause of the infection. This was at the end of August.

Seeing as it had to be done ASAP I only had a few days to get things in order, 2 days for pre op testing and get medical clearance from my primary MD. So I have the surgery done and when I wake up I was told that instead of 1 hr. it took 3 hrs. as Dr. B. found a hernia. I was like what the heck...I never lifted anything heavy so how did I get that? So I was in the hospital for 2 days and sent home to have my visiting RN pack the wound. I'm still on Augmentin as a precaution.

I am glad that I got all of my shopping done. I already have most of hubby's gifts bought. I just need to get a few things for him from Amazon and that is it!!

They say things happen for a reason....I'm just glad that my nieces and nephews will have a Christmas from their aunt and uncle this year. As for my health, I am on the way to kicking some serious butt as I'm healing faster than anticipated. Woohoo!!!

Holy guacamole GW! Chrissy shopping isn't even a twinkle in my eye yet! :eek2:

Kudos to you for being so organised though! Things sure do happen for a reason ay. :thumleft::thumleft::thumleft::thumleft::thumleft::thumleft:

I hope your recovery continues at break neck speed hun, you deserve nothing less! :hug:

Dusty.

love the christmas emoticon , Dusty, i generally start mine Christmas Eve if i have energy, lol. so santa hats off to Wonder and i think i'd be norty enough to tell nephews and neices that i've already done with Chrismas shopping and get them excited for most the year,lol

Yay for Christmas!! Less than 100 days now!!! I'm just now considering buying Halloween decorations if I can get up enough energy!

Please don't mention the C word!
I'm still clinging on to the last dregs of Summer!
xxx

i'm not, got dark clouds, very windy and blustery showers here in cornwall. i can't remember a summer joan, lol. might as well get festive! it gets so dark early, its frightening and i get SAD, oh the gloom, need dusty's xmas emoticon to cheer us up and add a bit of sparkle to our lives. absolutely love that cat Dusty, i got four of those things, great aren't they

Ah, Gutless, what a time you've been through, and it's one less thing for you to think about now while you put your feet up and keep on with that speedy healing. Keep on feeling better!

Re. your question:

Family -- I finished 3 out of 4 stockings in July but not the main gifts to allow time for people to put their wish lists together. The fourth, unfinished, stocking will contain lots of candy, so I want to wait until closer to Christmas to buy fresher stuff, especially the chocolate (there is a local company which recommends eating their chocolate within several weeks). I know what the main prezzie for my parents will be but am watching for a sale, and my sister will be sending her list soon (hopefully her husband will do same). Just one main gift for each person this year as I went overboard on stockings. Part of this "overboard" was due to a really good clearance sale at Chapters/Indigo -- I walked out with an armful (mild exaggeration, ahem) and paid 20%, 30% of the original price.

Friends -- For one friend I bought a battery-powdered icing decorator thingie, and I have no clue about what I'll get the rest yet. I generally encourage my friends not to exchange gifts ("let's have a party instead!") so we can all save money and TIME (and the build-up on objects in our homes, hmmm?) but often I am shouted down. Nicely, of course.

The C word ! LOL Joan I'm right there with you!

I usually don't start my shopping until after Thanksgiving. However, this year I really should get a jump start on it since Gab will be in the hospital for at least the week before Christmas ~ hopefully home by the 19th if everything goes as planned..but, we all know we can't, or shouldn't, count our chickens before they hatch!

Wonder...Good for you!! I'm impressed, and you're so right...everything does happen for a reason! I'm glad you are healing so well and quickly ! I hope it continues and you are feeling amazing very soon

I've started to think about what to buy. Haven't made my list yet though

Is this a joke?! Way to make us all feel inferior .

I do most of mine online (but I go 'late night shopping' at least once anyway just to soak up the atmosphere!), but need to get on it earlier this year to avoid the shitting-my-pants-(literally?)-it's-not-gonna-arrive-in-time panic that always ensues. We had postal strikes last year, effing nightmare! Most of my gifts for people turned up on the 23rd December thank god lol.

LOL! I thought I was getting a jump on the season because I've started "looking" and making a few lists for my kids! I plan to be done before Thanksgiving though. I'm really only purchasing for my two kids and maybe a few other family members; most of the family members on both sides will be getting handmade scarves, quilts and other craft projects I've been working on all year. It saves me money, and the grandmas appreciate it. :dance:

I've written all of my Christmas cards already!

Although if I'm honest I actually wrote them last year and forgot to send them.... ooops

Barr humbug!

Bumping this up, I am almost done. Never done this fast :banana:

I was finished all of my shopping by early November!

xmas is easy for me. I buy my own presents and then tell my parents and brother what they have bought me. They do exactly the same. I dont bother doing cards either, waste of money and I never put them up.
After 6 yrs of living in my house Ive bought one piece of tinsel, thats been stuck in the attic for the last 4yrs

I'm pretty much done too! Just picking up a little thing here and there if I see it....even started WRAPPING the other day! Hope to get more of that done tomorrow - maybe a little bit tonight - I do have to sort through the pressies too and figure out what is for whom!

Are you kidding! With all the craziness called my life! My wife and I have not even started!!!!! And yes, it is December 16th!

Here, here Doug, dad died on us. omg, is it the 16th!!!! okay rygon that sounds so sensible i need to give that a try. sounds good. lol

I've gotten a small gift for my sister and the gift from both of us to our mum. Dunno what else to get my sister or my dad, he is always so difficult to shop for >.<

We normally go into the city center on Christmas eve and get last minute stuff then. I've been too tired to do anything but sleep and do exams so hoping I find something then!

I like buying gifts though so I don't find it too stressful.

I did all my shopping very early because I have to have another op to remove scar tissue which I was told could have been before Christmas.I have seen the surgeon who has booked it for the 5th March unless anything happens in the mean time to cause any more problems.At least it's nice to get it all done cause we are usually Christmas Eve people..The only downer on it all is I had to have skeleton x rays 2 weeks ago because I haven't been able to walk very well and have been in severe pain and I got a phone call from the hospital to say they have found something in my skull and they are getting a consultant from the Queens medical centre to have a look at it in Monday and they will let me know exactly what it is.The other x rays were fairly normal,whatever that means.I know they are checking for myeloma cause my para protein count had shot up at the last check.So next week I see my crohns consultant on Monday,have my pre op on Tuesday,more blood tests on Wednesday and see the blood doc on Thursday so really it's a good job I got it all done and finished.
The only nice thing to happen in the last couple of weeks was my husband said come on lets go and buy some new baubles for the tree and I was in a lot of pain and grumpy and really did'nt want to go but I'm glad I did cause he bought me a diamond ring.Oh and we did buy the baubles.
I wish you all a very merry Christmas and a very healthy New year xxxxxx

Back at ya Clearwell, dont worry it will get better.

Doug ute: you cant win cause you are always on the winner thread,now get out there and shop! :lol:

Done ... as of yesterday. Waiting on one more gift from Amazon, which should be here Dec 21st. Let's hope it will be here.
And, just for the record .... I absolutely dispise the shopping part .. once under the tree and Christmas Eve is here, well, that's a different story.

Just about done. I have to buy a present for my sweetie, and finish stocking stuffers. I have a little bit of baking left to do. I also have two sweaters to finish.

My goal is to be done everything Monday as I get my first Remicade infusion Tuesday and knowing my luck I'll be so fatigued/have some weird reaction that I won't be able to get anything else done after that.

I love shopping but not on weekends when the line ups are too long. I do mine during the weekdays and have a breadmaker so dont have to worry about fresh bread...yum!

I'm all finished but I still need to mail some gifts! I really have to do it today or they may be late.

omg, its going to be another year where i give ready cash and tell 'em to get their own pressie. at least you can't get them something they don't like, and it still puts a smile on their faces

Finished up most of it this afternoon. Just a few odds and ends left to pick up this week,

right, i've now made a start....but by no means have i reached anywhere near the end. thank god i have a few more days. wish me luck as i've already slumped to the ground once this morning. omg, relent crohns please.

Spooky -- from what I hear in the news the world economy is counting on you going shopping these final days before Christmas.

Save us all!

lol, i don't think with my pennies i'm going to be of much help, in fact things are so dire i am thinking i might just have to give the festive xmas wrapping with nothing in.