Elves Working Overtime

Public Service Announcement: My post from Friday about my experience at The Float Shoppe just got sweeter! Leading up to Christmas they have announced a Holiday Sale where you can use the code "perfectgift" and pay only $39. This is such a great price to grab a float for all the loved ones in your family who deserve some extra attention. 

Thing 1 

I am an awful procrastinator when it comes to Christmas gifting. The entire process is a challenge for me. From making a list, physically going out (or online) to purchase gifts and then especially the dilemma I have trying to wrap said gifts. 

Today's the day, friends! And to celebrate wrapping gifts, here's some great links that will hopefully give the grinch in all of us some Christmas wrapping inspiration. 

While my gifts will never be too pretty to unwrap, there's so many ways to take the stress out of wrapping gifts for all of those loved ones. Too time crunched to get fancy? Grab some scissors and tape and get back to the basics. Only have a gift card? Never fear - here's several clever ways to package that thoughtful gift. Good luck on the odd-shaped ones, I can't help you there. 

Thing 2

If you were around here last year, you may remember that my mom creates Christmas miracles every holiday season as a Secret Santa. She adopts families in need, rounds up the wish lists and enlists help from all of her networks to make the holidays magical and memorable.

This year she was at it again, stronger than ever. She adopted 4 families and shopped off the wish lists of all 14 children. Bike, guitar, Ugg's, doll houses, stuffed animals, cozy blankets, board games - so many gifts came in and so many donations were made to make all these gifts possible. 

I'd like to say that I've never seen that many gifts under the tree, but that's not true at all. #Mom&DadRock

How awesome, right? These gifts and much more have been delivered to this year's adopted families. 

Selfish Santa

Uh, so how many of you went shopping the past weekend and ended up coming home with more for yourself than for your loved ones? When I shop in December I'm normally all about glitter reindeer, seasonal hand towels and a new dress for a Holiday party I'll likely not end up going to anyway and I forget that I'm there to get mom something she'll actually use / wear and get dad something that my brother suggested because dad's are sometimes hard to shop for.

This past weekend for Black Friday I was extremely guilty of being a selfish Santa.... again.

Okay wait so hear me out. 

I've been eyeing a new MacBook Pro for some time now but never pulled the trigger. First reason is because I like keeping ALL MY MONEYS and the second reason being that I'm always on my work computer anyway. Why spend those dollars I've saved when all I need to pay for is that high-speed WiFi connection? 

Through my recent life changes I fell into some extra money when I was bought out for some of the bigger ticket items that I'd purchased for us - like a couch and an HP laptop. All the extra money in the bank made me buy-ready for this shiny new super computer.

Okay, so maybe not all the way buy-ready, but it was on my brain that I was going to make the purchase in the next few weeks/months. Thing is that I was using the laptop as incentive to continue to lose some pesky extra pounds through clean eating and a daily sweat session.

Can you tell where this story is going? 

Well I found out that Apple had a Black Friday promotion that if you bought a MacBook Pro at any time of Friday past midnight Thursday, you'd get a $150 gift card. I'm kind of serious about sales for things that don't normally have any special promotion attached to them so Thanksgiving night I set four alarms to make sure the Turkey sleeps didn't take over. Just after midnight I clicked "Buy" on the 13" with Retina Display MacBook Pro and scheduled it for Friday pick-up at our downtown Apple store.

Reward cashed in before the hard work. 

There you have it - my Black Friday shopping experience was all sorts of selfish and impatient - but guys I have a gift card now to spend on things to pimp my mac. #thankful

For a mini redemption, I hit up the Made in Oregon store to get a Christmas gift for my bloggy friend Marisa who I went to coffee with on Sunday morning when she was home over the weekend. I picked up the cutest coffee table book about the city I love: This is Portland.

What kind of shopping do you do for yourself around this time of year? How do you keep on track with buying things for others rather than yourself?