Anyone started Christmas shopping, or even thinking about Christmas yet.

[tvguy]

No. We're only 2 weeks into summer, I'm still planning my summer vacation.

 

[georgina]

I don't do any Christmas shopping. It is such a relief not to have to worry about finding presents people will like. I wish they would stop trying to buy things for me & DH. (Really it's just DD & her DH who feel the need to buy us stuff we don't really want or need). We are taking the family to Universal for Thanksgiving, that will have to pass as our present to them.

 

[kathy884]

I'm very uncreative and not much fun as a Christmas gift giver/shopper. I just have too much of a practical bend and don't think of gift giving as a very efficient thing. I don't like the the idea or buying something for someone that they don't need or want and really wasting money just to be doing a gift exchange and having others do the same for me. I think I have for example bought DS too many things in the past that he thought were really cool when he opened up, but didn't really use -- novelty stuff that seemed like a waste of money to me. All that said, I really don't want to be a complete Christmas scrooge either. I have a much easier time buying experiences, tickets for things, etc. that I know someone will be excited to do than I do getting stuff that I don't know if someone might like or use or not. I also have a family who loves Broadway shows and concerts.

DH and I don't exchange, but with what we are getting for DS this year it's sort of like we are getting something for us too, as I am looking at tickets. I buy for my mom and dad and DS who will be 23 then. I also give $100 to each (a check in the mail) to each of my nieces and nephews with a card and just say to have dinner and a movie on us. They are all grown up, but are just starting off and still at the point where they like even getting an extra $100, so I still like to do this. I have budgeted for nieces and nephews already ($500 -- I just have five of them, relatively small family), but have not budgeted for DS and my mom and dad yet. For my mom and dad too, it's usually a smaller token thing. DH will get his mom flowers or something like that too. For DS, I'm going to get tickets to see the traveling Broadway show Anastasia that is coming to our town. I'll get tickets for Saturday, Dec. 29th right after Christmas. It's a show that DS I know would like to see, and will be a fun thing for us all to do / go to together. It's one too that DH and I will enjoy, but we wouldn't have gone too if it weren't for DS. With it being a gift too, I may splurge and get better tickets than might have otherwise -- as close as I can get, front center Orchestra, but retail tickets when they go on sale for single seats. There is no way or no need to do scalper/resale tickets and I won't do that. So I think I am getting off super easy, but it's not super inexpensive. All I will need to do is buy those three tickets, wrap them up and don't tell about them in advance to surprise DS, and I am one and done. And I will need to check on timing. If my mom and dad are going to visit us for the holidays, I may be getting them tickets to this show too (guessing they will come for Christmas itself vs. weekend after, but not sure and if weekend / period after that can be my Christmas present to them. If not, I'll still be thinking about something little to get them.

We also help out DS who is just getting started with plenty of other things regularly too and that's another reason I don't want to go overly overboard for Christmas. I'm happy to help out and like that I can do that, but that also is another reason I want to keep Christmas and what we do realativley modest and just do these tickets.

 

[lunasea]

Not buying but planning and savng. Adding to our Amazon wishlist and our Funko Pop lists and contributing to our Christmas account. We are moving to who knows where in a year so we are keeping it small this Christmas as we are in a pre-purge phase.

 

[McKelly]

I booked Wild Africa Trek for an "experience"gift on Christmas Day!! I also purchased some of these flat, tie-string, gift bags from QVC. I figured those would make it easy to wrap gifts quickly on our holiday vacation!

 

[Lalalyn]

Not yet! But, I’m telling DH to get me a massage at the Grand Floridian for our resort day during our February trip!! I don’t need anything and a massage to relax halfway through our trip sounds amazing. Anyone ever done it? Worth it?

For the kids, they are young and will have no clue what they want on Christmas Day until like a month beforehand. Always changing their minds. I’m hoping grandparents give them one small gift to open and then like the idea of giving them Disney GC to buy toys at WDW.

We have way too much stuff already!!

 

[loves to dive]

We don't do gifts for Christmas any more, I do put up a tree and decorate the house (at least the first floor of it) but we are really that couple that have everything we want or need already. It started to be close to impossible to come up with things to buy and things to tell relatives to get us so we just said don't get us anything, if you must give something to charity in our names. We give my adult son one big practical gift every year, like a new computer, pay his rent, service his car, etc. but that's it. I'm not close to my siblings or their kids, honey gives his nieces and nephews money. I'm semi-retired so don't need clothes or anything like that, honey works from home so also doesn't need anything like that. We are buying a RV at the end of the year so maybe that will be our gift to each other.

 

[unrequited23]

I buy throughout the year if I stumble upon a good deal, but I'm not actively hunting. That being said, all but one of our kids presents are hidden away and that last present (tablet) will most likely be purchased on Prime Day.

 

[kymom99]

I'm very uncreative and not much fun as a Christmas gift giver/shopper. I just have too much of a practical bend and don't think of gift giving as a very efficient thing. I don't like the the idea or buying something for someone that they don't need or want and really wasting money just to be doing a gift exchange and having others do the same for me. I think I have for example bought DS too many things in the past that he thought were really cool when he opened up, but didn't really use -- novelty stuff that seemed like a waste of money to me. All that said, I really don't want to be a complete Christmas scrooge either. I have a much easier time buying experiences, tickets for things, etc. that I know someone will be excited to do than I do getting stuff that I don't know if someone might like or use or not. I also have a family who loves Broadway shows and concerts.

DH and I don't exchange, but with what we are getting for DS this year it's sort of like we are getting something for us too, as I am looking at tickets. I buy for my mom and dad and DS who will be 23 then. I also give $100 to each (a check in the mail) to each of my nieces and nephews with a card and just say to have dinner and a movie on us. They are all grown up, but are just starting off and still at the point where they like even getting an extra $100, so I still like to do this. I have budgeted for nieces and nephews already ($500 -- I just have five of them, relatively small family), but have not budgeted for DS and my mom and dad yet. For my mom and dad too, it's usually a smaller token thing. DH will get his mom flowers or something like that too. For DS, I'm going to get tickets to see the traveling Broadway show Anastasia that is coming to our town. I'll get tickets for Saturday, Dec. 29th right after Christmas. It's a show that DS I know would like to see, and will be a fun thing for us all to do / go to together. It's one too that DH and I will enjoy, but we wouldn't have gone too if it weren't for DS. With it being a gift too, I may splurge and get better tickets than might have otherwise -- as close as I can get, front center Orchestra, but retail tickets when they go on sale for single seats. There is no way or no need to do scalper/resale tickets and I won't do that. So I think I am getting off super easy, but it's not super inexpensive. All I will need to do is buy those three tickets, wrap them up and don't tell about them in advance to surprise DS, and I am one and done. And I will need to check on timing. If my mom and dad are going to visit us for the holidays, I may be getting them tickets to this show too (guessing they will come for Christmas itself vs. weekend after, but not sure and if weekend / period after that can be my Christmas present to them. If not, I'll still be thinking about something little to get them.

We also help out DS who is just getting started with plenty of other things regularly too and that's another reason I don't want to go overly overboard for Christmas. I'm happy to help out and like that I can do that, but that also is another reason I want to keep Christmas and what we do realativley modest and just do these tickets.

Last Christmas we gave my son tickets to an Eagles concert and to the Beatles Love show. Looking back now, it was so nice having these things to look forward to. I went to the concert with him in march over his spring break and it was awesome! The Beatles show was in Vegas on our vacation and he went with his dad. So he got to anticipate and enjoy his gifts for months. It was a good decision.

This year I think we will get him tickets to a Pacers game. That's something in his bucket list.

 

[LovesTimone]

OP here,

Glad.. I am not the only one thinking about and shopping for Christmas... I hit up Pandora during there sales a month or so ago, and I started a Disney Pandora for DD, Belle princess, and got a bangle for my mom, but they did not have any of the snow white princess charms that I was looking for, so heading to Disney Spring maybe this weekend so I will look then..

Now the little guy, my grandson he gets a lot of stuff. Found a couple of dragons and dino's for his stocking so far.

Last year, I went the route of - 1 box, 1 bag and 1 stocking for all the adults, there were several things in each one so really fun no-one could tell which one had the "big" gift. So I am repeating this for this year.

I am getting my coupons lined up, for stuff like razor, toothbrushes, other toiletries. I pulled down what I call the Christmas box, where I tuck everything away so that I don't misplace anything.

I did start a list on my phone for stuff to keep in mind as I am out running around. Like when someone's says oh I need that, or like this, or Love it... I jot it down and even have taken a picture or two to make sure that I am getting the right thing.

 

[Hikergirl]

I'm hoping to not have to do any shopping this year and instead just take a trip for Christmas.

 

[HHMcG]

I've been seeing the Amazon Prime Day (July 16) advertisements and it is getting me thinking about Christmas lists. I know I bought a few gifts on Prime Day last year so I want to start thinking about it an be prepared if there is anything on the list available.

 

[kinntj]

Just saving for now, but no shopping. We haven't taken our summer vacations yet and may pick up a few things then. I do most of our shopping in October.

 

[dreamer17555]

Yes but to be fair I'm crazy and I have always been an earlier shopper. So far I have FX Lightsabers for my 11 yo DS (For $70 a piece vs $150 at Disney) and I will be painting my son's room this month because he is asking Santa for a Star Wars bed he saw so we are prepping his room now for that makeover. (I do not have the time to paint in December). Also scored a Pottery Barn Kids Last Jedi Quilt for $80, Star Wars Throw Pillow on clearance at Target for $8, and a stuffed Yoda for $15.

My DD has already said she wants the Iphone X Plus thats rumored for September. She also wants clothes and will likey get her some new headphones. Overall we are dialing it way down.

 

[christineinvegas]

I've bought a few things.

I got personalized sterling silver necklaces for the 3 young girls in my life for $20 each.

Bought the traditional photo book of my daughter for the grandparents when Shutterfly ran a sale for free photo pages (each book usually costs $60/each with a sale, this year I got them for $27/each)

Plus a bunch of misc things. I like to pick things up when I get a good deal, but my daughter's interests change all.the.time and she probably won't like the thing I bought her in February when Christmas comes around (-Legos & Shopkins-)

 

[MomToOne]

I have picked up a few things for DD18:
- A couple pairs of pajamas that I paid almost nothing for - they were on clearance at Kohl's and I had a Y2Y reward and birthday "gift" to use.
- A sweatshirt that I paid $1 for after using another Kohl's Y2Y reward that was about to expire and I had nothing else I needed to use it on
- A cute travel coffee mug that I got at Target's after Christmas clearance last year, and about $50 in Starbucks gift cards that I bought through various Groupon deals for half price.
- A refurbished camera lens from Canon. The deal I got probably matched what their Christmas-time pricing will be on the lens, but this lens tends to go out of stock early during that sale so I figured I'd go ahead and pick it up now. I made sure to use a credit card that offers an extended warranty on refurbished products just to be safe.

I also picked up some nice scarves at Kohl's on clearance for office gifts for a few folks.

I'm not actively looking to buy anything else until closer to Christmas, but if something catches my eye and is a good deal, I'm sure I'll pick it up!

 

[StacyStrong]

I haven't started buying or anything but I did make a list of people I need to buy for and the approximate amount I'd like to spend on each. August is a three paycheck month for me, so I like to set aside money from that check for Christmas. Knowing who I'm buying for helps me know how much to set aside.

I have a problem with overspending on people for Christmas lol

 

[powellrj]

My kids are grown and our parents except for my dad have all died, so that really cut down on Christmas. We are giving the kids money and doing white elephant for my brother and dad. That only leaves the 2 grands and they would really like cash too! If I do go that way, Christmas will be super easy.

 

[LabMouse]

Not just yet. Usually my cue to start Christmas shopping is when my better half wants to break out the Halloween movies (so, late September).

I find Christmas is so much more enjoyable if I have the bulk of the shopping and wrapping done before December even starts. Then I can focus on being more present and enjoying the season.

Agreed!

 

[tvguy]

I've already been shopping for months! I pointed out some things in the WalMart clearance aisle that would be good for my kids to buy for grandma/grandpa and aunt/uncle and they thought I was nuts to even consider that already. But I'm trying to teach them how to stretch their budgets (and maybe save my sanity if I don't have to help them do all their shopping in December).

I find Christmas is so much more enjoyable if I have the bulk of the shopping and wrapping done before December even starts. Then I can focus on being more present and enjoying the season.

LOL. I usually start my Christmas shopping on December 15th, and have it done by December 18th. By then, the retail stores and online retailers have started to panic about having too much inventory and start slashing prices. Do my wrapping on the 19th and 20th, then I can start enjoying the season.