I told you earlier this week that I'd have a Christmas Pledge Calendar for you and I always keep my promises. Unless it interferes with something I'd rather do.
Here is your Christmas Pledge calendar.
Now, I'm using the term Christmas loosely. This calendar can be applied to any time sucking holiday that requires decorating, gift buying, card sending and cookie making. So ... Channukah, Kwanza, the day Spandex was invented. You get the idea.
Feel free to move things around, change it up a bit ... this is just a guideline to the things you should be doing and keeping in mind.
Some fun places to shop online ...
Abe's Market - A mindful living marketplace. Everything from food to fashion.
Sephora - Every makeup product you could imagine. This orgasm is my personal recommendation.
Etsy - Duh. Kay .. sorry. I'm sure there are a few of you who don't know what Etsy is. Etsy is a marketplace specializing in hand-made items.
The Museum of Modern Art - Unique and beautiful gifts.
A couple of stocking stuffer ideas and places
Get custom M&Ms made with words and photos!
Etsy - I've had great success with fun little smalls from Etsy for stockings.
American Science & Surplus Fun stuff. Just PLAIN FUN STUFF!
Custom made iPhone case! Just upload logo or picture!
You may have noticed that you already have homework for tonight. Scouring Pinterest and Etsy for wrapping ideas. I'm quite strict with this first assignment. If I find out ANY of you that signed the pledge haven't been lounging on the couch browsing Pinterest I *will* find out and there *will* be repercussions.
Santa's not the only one with with a God complex out there.
Have a good weekend and good luck with The Christmas Pledge!
NikiDee
Welllll....I'm taking the pledge. I'll be visiting relatives the week of the 17-24th so I guess I'll just double some things up. I suppose I could stamp my lights & hang my cards. One thing I know for sure - since none of my gift recipients live in the same state with me I'll be shoving my gifts in envelopes this year. Gift cards for all! Phew...that's done. ;)
cathy
Done and done. Although I must confess to re-jigging the calendar a bit; not much of a people cookie baker-I do dog biscuits, tho- I make my own cards so I put that task in its place.
Everything looks good to go. This is a wonderful idea.
And if you can ever get to American Science and Surplus, you will instantly recognize it as
your Home Planet.
Cheers!
Cat
leslie
Wait A Minute... You mean this calendar is for NOVEMBER????
Damn.
Debbie
Hanukkah is the evening before Thanksgiving this year. This will not happen again until, oh, probably after the earth is in another ice age (thousands of years).
List: Get Hanukiot (menorahs) out of basement and set up - the electric one in the window, as it is safer than flames by the window; buy oil/candles. In our family, we save our sanity by giving gifts only to children. Traditionally, gelt (money) is the gift. Since all of the children in the family are over the age of 17, a check (towards whatever they are saving for) or gift card is given - the Sunday comics have always been my favorite wrapping paper. (When they were little, we saved our sanity by asking each other what the kids wanted and working from there.) Put up a few Hanukkah decorations. Plan a Hanukkah dinner for the family. Buy ingredients, especially for latkes and sufganiot (jelly donuts) as cooking in oil is traditional. Get cards ready to send to friends who celebrate other seasonal holidays (Hanukkah cards are not traditional, though High Holiday cards are for Rosh Hashanah/Yom Kippur with the greeting of being written and sealed in the Book of Life for the coming year). Drive around and look at all of the beautiful Christmas lights in the neighborhood. (We really miss the house that had police directing traffic. Every inch of the house was decorated from top to bottom, including the separate garage. There was music and a sheet one could take from the mailbox with the history of the decorations, how much electricity they used and how long it took to decorate the house. The next door neighbors decoration - singular - was the best. There was a lighted sign with an arrow pointing to the decorated house that said, "Ditto". We went every year to see this awesome house until we moved.)
With all of that to do, I think I should take the pledge! We already have the oil for the Hanukiah and this weekend the Hanukiot will come up from the basement. The menu planning begins Monday - seriously - it is on my calendar. Gifts are the next Monday. The turkeys (two small ones, as that provides more legs) are on order. I'm trying, I'm trying! Thanks for the push!!!
Karen
Etsu has REALLY nice menorahs Debbie. Just in case you need another, LOL. I have NEVER, EVER heard of Hanukkah happening in November, let alone before Thanksgiving! That's ... strange! Like ... really strange. ~ karen
Debbie
Thank you for the Etsy idea! In 2002, Hanukkah was on Nov. 30. I only went back as far as 2001 to check. I have to admit, it is strange, but then again, it is a different calendar!
Kim from 3 peanuts
And you know you know you have us Americans wrapping on Thanksgiving? All we do on that day is eat. And cook. And some people watch football.
Karen
Schedule doesn't *have* to be adhered to. I mean, I recommend it 'cause I'm a pretty big force to be reckoned with but ... you can move your wrapping day. They're just guidelines and motivation. No big whoop. ~ karen!
Kim from 3 peanuts
Oh Karen....you make it look so easy here. I have to begin the arduous task of re-typing my address list into my computer (it crashed last December). That alone will seriously cut into my Pinterest lounging. Although I already have my wrapping scheme planned and purchased (white and silver and sparkly incase you were wondering) so maybe I am actually ahead of schedule?
Kim
Diana
Hi Karen,
I`m working in a shop and having christmas since August selling, building, decorating thousands of trees, wrapping gifts. ;O/ My son and his father have to decorate the tree and that is in our case on Dec 24th.
The gifts okay- I have ideas but the whole familie decided to have birthday before xmas...
So if you find out, I didn`t follow your calendar (I`m afraid you do;o) ) be kind and forgive. Because that`s what christmas means! Lol blink
Karen
Nice try Diana. Get it done. ~ karen LOL!
Debbie from Illinois
Woohoo! I am ahead of the game, I already bought all my wrapping supplies.
Bre
Yeah. Doable. I like this, Karen!
Feral Turtle
Pinterest it is. I am going there right now! Cheers
Marti
Great. Now I want a globular helicopter and a flashlight shaped like lipstick. American Science & Surplus is GREAT! Hurray!
cred
I'm in! Being a commitment-phobe, I was hesitant but I can see no other way to survive this year. I know I didn't make the pledge immediately when you proposed it (sounded more like a dare). But it did light a fire and I started making my list. I want my house to be as beautifully decorated as yours for xmas and I usually run out of time for many of the ideas that pinterest has imbedded.
btw- I like that you recommend orgasm- and NARS multiple, no less. When recommending orgasm, it makes sense to specify multiple.
Brigit Carpenter
I'm with Noelle, feeling inadequate to the task..my intentions are good but work and chores get in the way. I am, however, going to the local potter's show tomorrow for gifts I want to buy mostly handmade gifts this year. Support local artists!
Tigersmom
Is extra credit awarded for prior hours spent on Pinterest and Etsy while occasionally thinking about gifts for others? What if we have already purchased some gifts? (I'm seriously not trying to brown nose, I am just attempting to embrace my competitive side. Really. )
And how do you decorate your house in just 1 day? It takes me 3, but we're pretty seriously into Christmas around here. Not that you're not, I'm just starting to think I may be able to pare down on the decorations a bit this year. It will be our 3rd Christmas in this house and the first one was a bit of a scramble as we hadn't been here that long and it was a first time and the second one I may have gone a tad.....um.....er.... ok, I went seriously overboard. So, in addition to your pledge, I pledge to also ease up a bit on the decorations of the house so as to have more time to be less stressed.
Thanks for introducing me to American Science and Surplus. My little science guy, aka my son, is going to love it.
Oh, and if you have time (and now that have your P.O.Box address) could you do a post on the correct way to pack and ship a Norwegian Dwarf Goat from Texas to Canada in winter?
Karen
Just slap a address label on it's forehead and kick him out the front door. ~ karen
Tigersmom
Are you sure you want to rely on the "kindness of strangers" to deliver your Christmas gift from me?
Karen
LOL!
Karen
I was kind of counting on the goat having some smarts. ~ karen
Tigersmom
Oh, you want a smart goat.
Yeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh, I don't now where to find one of those.
Kathy
Yeah! I am so happy to see this. I used to be all about doing Christmas things early and then the last few years I became a bit of a humbug. Something has changed again this year and I have already made a lot of progress with my shopping and have been the crazy person who is actually watching all the sappy, cheesy Christmas movies they have been playing every night since Halloween. I really want to be done early this year so i can just relax come Dec. 1st. Maybe it will actually happen this year!
Tracie
Hey, thanks Karen....looking very forward to the challenge! Was waiting for the calendar, and now I have zero excuses! Maybe I will be the organized one this year!! Stranger things have happened.....I think!
Jenny
I have to work Thanksgiving weekend, so I'll have to move the decorating to the weekend of the 23rd. Seems too early though. But I do not want to be punished for not being done by Dec 1. Karen can be scary.
Noelle
Finish shopping by November 26? Have you hanging out with Rob Ford? Did you type this in a drunken stupor? There are people that are this organized? I'm lucky if my shopping is done by the 26th of December!
I'm cross with you for making me feel inadequate. Thanks! ;p
Karen
I'm cross with you for not having your shopping done by December 26th! Heh. ~ karen!
Noelle
It's boxing day! It's when I deliver my boxes..... and I have my own store to shop in. ;)
Linda Robbins
First laugh of the day. You to thank.
ally
Noelle - hate to tell you but it's Nov 8th and I'm almost done. Seriously. Only a couple of 1/2 gifts to get. Online shopping rules.
Barbie
I beat Marti!! OMG! I was first to comment????? OMG! LOL
Barbie
OK! I "almost" want to do this pledge thing...but decorating my house is the biggest hugest hardest job of all take me days and days...and once that is out of the way coast is clear....but I really don't want to do that "before" Thanksgiving.... SUCH a dilemma! I do love the idea AND that calendar! Hmmmmmm....also all those websites and suggestions.....hmmmmmm
Karen
Hmmmmmmmmm. :) ~ karen