2015 Christmas Gifts

I'm buying this year. I decided to get food this year so my loved ones can have the memory and something to eat as well. One year my cousin gave us treats from a local distributor of goodies like local fair kakimochi or rice crackers, prepared cuttlefish and other island favorites. I liked it a lot. Getting something to eat for the whole family whether it's nuts which is nutritious is a way that the whole family can enjoy Christmas, instead of buying individually that can get expensive. If you give money, these days $5 doesn't go far so you got to give a lot, so gift cards are expensive. I've gotten $5 gift cards and I loved it. I'll stick with some kind of food though to save money and give a gift the whole family can enjoy.

 

Eugh, I have no idea yet. More likely I'll be buying, since I don't have much time to make gifts, though I'll try to bake stuff for family members as side gifts to supplement the stuff from the stores. We make good cookies in our house, and no one in my family has ever turned down cookies.

I tend to shop better under pressure. I probably won't give much thought to what I'm specifically buying until November, just before purchasing season really gets underway. I hate shopping at the last minute, but I can't go at it too early, either.

 

As I'm sure I've said before, I'm a real killjoy when it comes to Christmas. I also hate the thought of people wasting their precious time and money on a gift for me. So every year, well before time, I send my usual NUPP (no unnecessary present pact) message out and people are generally relieved to cross one name off the list.

I still buy for my mother and the OH though and still like to give my friend's kids £10 each for their bank accounts (I'm not being mean, there are 5 of them!). In fact, it's only when I'm with my friend and her kids during the holiday season that I ever feel remotely Christmassy.

 

I just got back from a holiday in Vietnam and I was able to buy some items intended for Christmas. Mostly t-shirts, those are for my associates in the office. For close friends, there was this wooden figurine that is actually a puzzle. It's a good novelty. I don't usually buy gift items from abroad because I had to pay the baggage fee. But those items I bought were pretty cheap so I guess it is worth the baggage fee of $50.

 

I usually do my showing during the peak of the season because that's when most of the sales come out. I also like that during this time almost all products are showcased so you have a much better chance of finding something unique. I really do try and go for non regular items when I'm looking for gifts because when it's just a regular item I feel I have missed my chance to show more of an effort.

 

I’m not much of a crafter and any baked goods I might make will probably not ship overseas, so I usually just buy gifts. Though I might sneak in some origami pieces that can be flattened in the shipping process, since I’ve gotten back into that lately.

I’ve already picked up a few small items here and there, like jewelry and certain flavors of tea that aren’t available where my friends live. I like to supplement with candy and either cosmetics or a clothing item, usually, but sometimes I switch it up and send a locally handmade bar soap or something similar.

 

I like crafts and decoration in Christmas.. So I bought some decorative items like lights for my tree decoration, Shadow box, gift cards, Yankee candles, lamps..

 

I never try making any gifts, whenever I had to buy a gift for someone then I always buy it in the mall. As of now though I haven't done any Christmas shopping yet, it's still not on my mind at all.