You Mean I'm Supposed to Shop BEFORE Christmas?

So I guess Christmas is just next week. 10 short days away... I thought I was prepared for this! We got our tree and lights up weeks ago, and the snow is here now, but I really thought I had more time! Guess who hasn't purchased a SINGLE Christmas gift yet this year?

To be fair, it is important to note that David and I agreed to have a scaled-back Christmas this year. With David only working part-time for now and the loss of my job looming in the future, it just makes sense to be frugal. Plus, we've never really been ones to break the bank over "stuff." We've had the opportunity to make donations to different charities and to volunteer our time with some great programs (that have been really fun) so I definitely feel in the holiday spirit. It's just kinda' weird that our tree has a big empty skirt underneath (if you don't count the dead pine needles.) I've told my family that we're just going to do small (read: inexpensive) gifts this year, and we don't feel obligated to send something to every half-cousin or nephew-in-law, so that makes things simpler too. I guess I should have planned ahead a bit more and devised some creative homemade gifts to knock everyone's socks off with my cleverness and skill. I guess there's always next year. ...or is it too late to take up needlepoint?


For your holiday enjoyment, here is a picture of Tucker (our dog) supervising David as he decorates the Christmas Tree.