gifts

12 Days of Christmas: Day 6- Last Minute Gift Ideas

Mary7 Comments

day 6

We’ve all been in that place where you just can’t figure out what to get that last person on your list and suddenly it’s the 19th and it’s crunch time. Here are some ideas for when you are completely and utterly stuck for ideas!

  • Gift cards- Although they seem rather impersonal sometimes the best thing to do is just let the person you’re shopping for pick their own present.
  • Those impulse buy items I told you not to buy yesterday. If you’re stuck sometimes it’s best to make a little gift basket of little useful things, not the junky things that will get thrown away, but makeup bags, anything that could be used everyday makes a good gift. If someone just moved out little things for the kitchen, anything really.
  • Donations in their name- If you are buying for someone who would rather give than receive find out their favorite charity and give the money to that instead.
  • Food- Okay so maybe this only works for teenagers/college students/younger people with a small income, but they will love it and cherish it for as long as it lasts.
  • Anything useful. Think about their life and what they need, and if they really don’t need anything go back to the donations.
  • Inside jokes-  I love when people get me things that have meaning. For example, for my birthday Eric got me a Maryland state flag because I always make fun of it, and cow gummies because of the time I thought cows exploded, and that made me laugh and I loved it. This shows that you pay attention and appreciate someone.
  • Something funny- If all else fails just go the joke route. While it will probably be junk that will go in the trash in a few months or years it’s fun in the moment and it will always be good for laughs and memories.

What are your last minute gift ideas?

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12 Days of Christmas: Day 5- Last Minute Gift Buying Tips

Mary2 Comments

day 5

Now, I’m not a last minute kind of person to be quite honest. However, there were a few Christmas presents that I couldn’t get in Ireland so I will be doing some last minute shopping when I get home. I thought maybe it would be nice to give my tips on the best way to do last minute shopping.

  • Go in the morning. The sooner you leave the more people are still running late, so get to the mall or Target or Walmart or wherever you need to go as soon as it opens.
  • Have a list. It’s too late in the game to try and wing it, you need to know what you’re looking for otherwise you will be stuck there forever.
  • Walk with purpose. Those pesky mall kiosk people are less likely to ask you a million questions if you’re walking with a purpose. I know they’re just doing their job, but you still have presents to wrap and places to be, get it done and get out of there. Unless you want to meander, then meander!
  • Only go into stores that have the things you need. If you’re shopping for your mom there’s no reason to go into American Eagle, instead you’re just going to end up buying yourself a sweater that you don’t need and spending the money you should be spending on other people.
  • Don’t give in to the impulse buys. If you don’t need it don’t buy it. I feel like those little stations of impulse buys are everywhere at Christmas time and that’s because they know people cave. Those are good stocking stuffers and little presents for friends, but if that’s not what you’re looking for, walk away.

What are your last minute tips?! I’m going to struggle with the not getting distracted part since I haven’t been to Target in months it’s going to be hard, but I can do it.

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The Holidays: Present Guide

Mary1 Comment

The year of daily blogging is nearing an end and I’m finally starting to get motivated again. I thought I would help everyone with another present guide like I did last year, just to try and get started on the holidays and not waiting until the end of the month like I’m trying to avoid.

For mom: Something sentimental or something simple. Sorry to my mom, but moms just seem to love everything. Like I’m sure it’s this pretend thing they do but you could get your mom a rock and she would like it (probably). I would go with something sentimental. Or a candle or slippers. Things they like but don’t usually buy for themselves is always good.

For dad: I think a lot of people buy ties, but I can’t say that I’ve ever done that before. I like sports things like shirts, hats, etc. or things he likes or needs. Wallets are good, ties are good, things that are good are good.

For sisters: Makeup, nail polish, clothes, things they need, anything. Sisters like stuff.

For brothers: I don’t have any so I don’t know. I would guess like sports stuff or things they need. Maybe clothes if you think they need style help. Soap- I feel like a lot of boys are smelly and that’s a good way to get that to stop.

For boyfriends: I don’t have any of these either so I might not be of any help on this. I heard that people spend a lot of money on significant others which also really deters me from having one (if the opportunity ever arose) but that is not important and is another issue of my own. I would suggest like things to do because time is one of the best gifts you can give. So concert tickets, sports tickets, a day trip or other trips. If you don’t want to do that you can bake, you can make something else, you can get them clothes or soap or other stuff they like. I don’t know what boys like.

For girlfriends: While I’m not a girlfriend, I am a girl so I think I can guess. Jewelry is always good or things to do again. Try cooking because that’s impressive. If you can do anything that shows you put forth some type of effort at all I think that’s impressive enough. Girls are easy to shop for.

For friends: Inside jokes, homemade goodies, personalized handmade things. As a college student I’m doing nice little crafty things that I’m putting together myself rather than buying a bunch of gift sets and expensive things.

I don’t buy presents for anyone else really. If you are stuck on any ideas leave them in the comments and I’ll respond. Good luck shopping!

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Christmas Traditions!

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Guys it’s Christmas Eve! So I wrote up a post and everything yesterday but I fell asleep before I could even hit publish so I decided just to do another today. 

As you guys may I have picked up on, I love Christmas, and this includes the various traditions that my family has, so I thought I would just share some of them with you guys! Feel free to leave yours in the comments!

  • The one thing we have done every year since I was born, probably even before that is go to my grandparents house and do a gift exchange with our cousins, have Christmas dinner, and spend time with our extended family because we see the opposite side of our families the next day. Our gift exchange is assigned by picking names out a bowl and the only rule is it can’t be a sibling or spouse in the case of our parents.  I really like this because I just love spending time with my family celebrating and eating.
  • After we get back from this we get to open one present, which is always pajamas to wear to bed that night so we have new ones for whatever reason.  This is probably one of my favorite ones because I love pajamas and I wear them all day if I don’t have anything going on, it’s just a nice present.
  • I also love going to church. This is something I talk about a lot in my blog because religion is a very controversial subject, but I am a fairly religious person (I hope this doesn’t affect our relationship at all but if it does, I’m sorry) and I love going to what is typically Christmas Eve service, however, if my family has the unfortunate problem of having to serve on the alter, like my sisters and mom do this year, we go Christmas day.  It’s so nice to sing the Christmas hymns and here the story of Jesus’ birth every year.
  • Christmas morning, of course with two younger sisters, I am awoken at the crack of dawn, by that I mean 7 am. I’m not really a fan of it, but I guess I get presents earlier this way. 
  • Then as soon as they wake me up, they go to get our parents up, then my mom, my sisters, and I have to sit at the top of the steps while my dad fiddles with something downstairs (it’s been 19 years now and I still don’t know what he’s doing down there!) and then when we finally go down we first open our stockings and then go downstairs again, to the basement and open our presents.
  • Another Christmas Tradition is the pickle that my dad hides in the tree, whoever finds it gets an extra present. Sometimes this is a two hour process, other times fifteen minutes, it all depends on how tricky he decides to be.  
  • Finally, the last Christmas tradition that my family has is that anyone in our extended to family is invited to our house for dinner and it’s just nice to have everyone around the dinner table one a year laughing and sharing memories from Christmas’s past and what’s going on in everyone’s busy lives. 

Well I guess you guys can probably see better now why I love Christmas so much.  Anyway, please share your traditions in the comments! Have a very merry Christmas, or happy Hanukkah but that’s over now, well I hope you had a good one then! 

XOXO 

Mary

 

Holiday Present Guide

Mary3 Comments

Well it’s that time of year again, the time to buy your loved ones and those closest to you presents for which ever holiday you celebrate. We are now reaching cram time for presents here folks and I’m going to try and help you shop for those closest to you. 

Let’s start with family:

  • Dad: For my dad we always seem to get stuck and then we end up buying him things that have his favorite sports teams on. This has gone as far as lawn gnomes; my father has an Eagle’s lawn gnome.
  • Mom: I get my mom the same thing every year for Christmas so it’s always a breeze. For those of you who do not do that you can always go for candles/slippers/anything handmade, moms love that cheesy stuff.
  • Older sister: Now I don’t have any of these so I’m just going to list things I would like: gift cards, money, clothes, makeup, candles, lotion, body sprays, ect., just be careful that they actually like the scent. 
  • Older brother: I don’t have any of these either, so my guess would be gift cards, money, video games, and sports paraphernalia.
  • Younger sister: I have two of these and I never know what to get them so usually I just take them out for a meal, movie, or shopping (with a very small budget of course) and that way we also have some time to catch up since we don’t get to hang out often.
  • Younger brother: I don’t have any of these either so my guess would be video games, or other toys. Nerf guns are always fun (everyone likes them!)
  • Extended family: Something generic is always easy, unless they ask for something specific.  Gift cards and home necessities may not be very personal but they are always appreciated!

Now onto friends and other people you should probably buy presents for

  • Best friends: This year I am making my best friends something that has to deal with a few of our many inside jokes, these are always fun little gifts that hold memories and laughs.  My childhood best friend will be receiving a t-shirt from my college, so she has a little piece of me when she is so far away.
  • Regular friends: Forever 21 has cute little necklaces, scarves, beanies, makeup, and nail polishes all under $5! This is awesome for anyone on a budget and they are still really appreciated, so that’s what I did for a lot of my friends at school.
  • Guy friends: Now unfortunately this year I do not have any of these to buy for, but if I did I would probably go with a t-shirt, or a fun toy of sorts.  If neither of those works candy and other food always works wonders.
  • Roommates: Now this person you live with all the time so you probably know a lot about them. For example my roommate loves animal crackers, so I got her a MASSIVE tub of them, probably a good two pounds. Now depending on how close you and your roommate are will probably factor in on how much you spend on them if anything, even the smallest thing can go a long way though.
  • Acquaintances: This year, I didn’t feel the need to do this as I did in highschool because I have a pretty good idea as to who is buying me Christmas presents.  But, if you’re afraid that someone is going to buy you a present and you failed to buy them something in return, just keep some chocolate bars and candy canes with you and give that to them! The smallest gesture can go a long way in many cases. 
  • Boyfriend/ Significant Other: Again, I do not have one of these either so I will try my best on what to get them since I never was really good at this. If you have used the l-word yet (yes that would be love) there are hundred of cute little lovey dovey ideas on Pinterest like 52 reasons why I love you on a deck of cards. However, if you are afraid of that word (like myself) it never hurts to buy clothes for him/her, especially clothes you want to see them in.  If you go to different colleges a t-shirt of your school is nice to show your support for one another. 

Feel free to leave a comment if you are really stuck on anyone at all! This is really my favorite time of the year because I love buying stuff for people! 

And here are just a few more present tips:

  • Make sure you talk with everyone about a budget, you don’t want to spend $20 on someone who’s going to spend 5. 
  • Wrap them nicely, it shows you took time and effort for their present
  • Gift receipts are really important, especially when you buy clothes for people. 
  • Finally, if it’s someone important to you and you are using a label, cross out from and write love, it’s the little things that matter.

I hope this little guide helped you with some presents. It sure distracted me from studying.  One final down, three to go.  Hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and a great holiday season!

The Christmas Tag

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The Questions:1.Whats Your Favorite Holiday Movie?

I would probably have to say the Santa Claus trilogy, they are so funny and I love Tim Allen. But I also really love all of the cheesy ABC  Family movies.
2. Whats Your Favorite Christmas Color?

Red.
3. Do You Like To Stay in Your PJs Or Dress Up For Christmas?

I stay in my PJs until my mom yells at me to change.
4. If You Could Only Buy One Person a Present This Year Who Would It Be?

Whoever I get for pollianas on my dad’s side of the family because it would be really bad if I messed that tradition up.
5. Do You Open Your Present Christmas Eve Or Christmas Morning?

We get to open two presents Christmas Eve, the one from pollianas and one from our parents which is always PJs to wear that night.
6. Have You Ever Built a Ginger Bread House?

Yeah but I never actually eat them because I think the idea of everyone touching the supplies is really gross.
7. What Do You Like To Do On Your Christmas Break?

Relax, read, and hang out with my friends.
8. Any Christmas Wishes?

World Peace. Just kidding, I would like an external hard drive but I feel like it’s a weird thing to ask for so I probably won’t get one.  I do also wish that our government would stop being a bunch of dumb asses.
9. Favorite Christmas Smell?

Peppermint- yum :)

And the rest of the questions did not format right so I’ll leave you with this.  I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas.

XOXO
Mary

P.S Here is a link to a video that I posted yesterday which also happens to be a different Christmas Tag! Enjoy! http://youtu.be/7RO4GiEu52Q