I finally started it today! I also put my tree up today. I'm in the spirit!!!!! Actually Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year. It's just that I am a procrastinator. And we always celebrate it one week after so I think I still have plenty of time. I wish my DH would do outdoor decoration. I have a small living room and big furniture. We have our tree downstairs in our family room. So from the street it looks like our house is all bah hum buggish!

I decorated right after thanksgiving. (good thing, cause of the flare that hit me) I usually decorate outside, but this year, I didnt do anything. I also didnt put the Xmas trees (I have 2) in an area where they can be seen from outside. My neighbors probably think we're all sick over here. (well, we are...)

I must have known something was about to happen because I started shopping weeks before I usually do. So, all I have to do now is buy junk for my nieces, but my sister and b-in-law havent sent us anything saying what the kids want. So, I'm guessing they're all getting gift cards.

When I got my Kindle Fire last month, I got a free month of Amazon Prime. That ends sunday, and with that, there goes the free or reduced price shipping costs. My sister better get me the list tonight or tomorrow before the Prime goes byebye.

I'd love to keep the Prime membership actually. It's pretty much already paid for itself by being free for the month before Xmas. So, I did most of my shopping on Amazon...little bit on WalMart, and then some on the home shopping tv channels. (did a lot friday because they had free shipping)

Before the MS decided to mug me and steal all my spoons, I'd done some stuff at local stores, so I actually did do a lot of shopping. I just wish my sister would hurry up and tell us what to buy so I can finish, and do it before I have to put my parents into debt by paying for all the expensive shipping costs.

My tree is decorated, most of my food is ordered, and my cards are in the mail. I've bought all my gifts except a gift for one niece, and I'm a bit stumped as to what to get her. I have even mailed the gifts that had to go out of town. I feel I can finally relax now as the worst of my hustle and bustle is over.

Today was our Christmas party and it was so nice to catch up with friends and share the festive season with them.

Good Morning Koala, Doydie and Erin and all the rest of you late night/early morn peeps.

I don't know if I'm done with Christmas or Christmas is done with me, but I'm done.. IYKWIM!!

I guess I'm not doing any shopping for my nieces. Been begging my sister for a list of stuff and they havent done it yet. I told them I only have free rush shipping till tomorrow at one of the places I'm shopping at, and I havent seen an email yet for what the kids want.

Guess they're getting gift cards. I'm not going to be paying all that rush shipping to get their stuff here by next week if they dont hand me a list today.

They did call, because they're taking my mom out for her birthday and my sister's birthday (I'm not going) and said they'd go shopping today before they go for dinner. Yeah, that's not going over well with my dad, who has a heart condition, and isnt up to shopping in a store either. This is why we've been begging them for a list of stuff we could order.

Santa Claus (me and my dad) feels like crap this year, wish my sister would have paid attention the multiple times we begged her for a list of stuff to get. My mom is probably all for going shopping, but I dont think my sister has shopped with my mom for 20yrs. Mom will want a wheelchair to sit in, and she wants to stop and look at everything. But when it comes to actually buying anything, my mom will get all grumpy and say "they dont need it" and will refuse to buy anything. (this is why I buy my dad whatever presents he tells me to buy for him and then tell my mom she bought it for him. She wont remember she didnt)

Glad I'm not going shopping with them today. I know what will happen. They'll take my parents with them, and my sister and b-in-law will wander off and my parents will be left alone somewhere, with no clue what to buy. Then my parents will be tired and grumpy and annoyed that they were trapped in a store with no way to get home. (I've shopped with my sister before. I always make sure I'm the driver)

Thanks to my surgery and my lack of money I haven't set foot in a store this Christmas season.

My boys "big" gift for each of them has already been given. I ordered girly stuff for their girlfriends (bubblebath & lotion) and had a couple of small things I'd gotten during the year for each of the boys......and that's it!

They're all coming over Christmas Day in the afternoon and we'll have sandwiches and visit.

Since there's no small children in the immediate family that we get together with regularly it's pretty easy to get away with just online shopping. I love it!

I haven't set foot in a store for the last 9 Christmases. Online all the way for me.. I probably spend more though, because it's so easy.

I shore don't miss the crowds and the waiting in lines for eternity. If we would list the good things about having MS, this would be at the top. Now if it just wasn't so expensive to have them all wrapped..

I did end up getting some stuff for my nieces. My sister and b-in-law came over yesterday to take my mom and my sister out for their b-days. B-in-law finally got it thru his head that we've been begging for lists for presents. (they changed their email addresses and never told us, and never check their old addresses, so they were clueless that we needed to know what to get)

So, b-in-law emailed me some links from his laptop while he was here and I got some stuff ordered. Yay for the Amazon Prime trial membership (free 2-day shipping!) I ordered enough stuff that I can now justify paying for the paid membership to Amazon Prime. (just used that to order myself a TENS unit! Merry Xmas to me! It'll be here wednesday)

My b-in-law was nice at least when I asked questions about what the kids wanted. I asked my sister what she wanted for her b-day and got yelled at for my trouble. (she didnt need that iTunes card I was going to get her)

Now I think other than wrapping presents, I'm ready for Xmas. I use fabric gift bags that I've made over the years, and I just re-use ribbon and name tags, so wrapping presents is going to consist of putting presents in bags. Bigger presents, I'm leaving in their shipping boxes and not even bothering to make them pretty. I might put a sticky bow on a couple, but that's about as far as I'm going on that. Dont even have to use tags, I've got a Sharpie marker to write the names of the person those presents are for.

I'm now in the "I dont give a crap anymore" phase about buying presents. If there's anything that I HAVE to get for someone, I hope they're not disappointed that they'll have to go get it themselves with a gift card or cash, or wait for it to appear from Amazon.com. I figure it's less stress for me...

and, not having to wrap anything with paper, there will be less garbage to toss out, and less ridiculously expensive wrapping paper wasted on camouflaging a present. We'll just have a few shipping boxes to break down and bubble wrap to pop.

I just want Xmas to be over. I want to play with my toys that I know I'm getting (because I bought them) and I just want to figure out a way to relax. I think I'll be able to relax a little when I get the present that my dad bought me that I accidentally saw when it was delivered. (Apple product...Ooo!) That's the only thing about Xmas that I'm excited about now. I know what it is, I just dont know all the specifications about it.

I decided to give my niece the gift of water. I have donated in her name, to a charity that brings safe drinking water to needy African villages.

If anyone else is interested, here's the website: http://thewaterproject.org/?gclid=CK...FQklpAodACcxmQ

I've already opened mine.

I opened one of mine the other day because I was bored being stuck here. Got out the ipad cover my mom bought me. My dad gave me a look when I went upstairs with it the other day, and I told him that I had to do it.

There's a dvd set in the other room that I'm fighting to not open. (the North & South miniseries, all three of them) I'm just so bored.

I almost gave my mom one of her presents today because she was yelling about wanting a new coffee pot. I'm trying to keep a sense of mystery for her presents so I avoided going in and grabbing the box that has the coffee machine we bought for in it. (it's not one of those Keurig machines, this one is different, doesnt need pods or little cups of grounds)

If she yells about wanting a new coffee pot much more, I'm going to throw that box at her.