In the afternoon, daughter and I went to one of the malls to shop. We had three shops we wanted to go to for our gifts and daughter wanted to shop for some clothes for herself at one of them. We spent about 2 1/2 hours shopping and that included the time daughter took to try out some clothes. I was getting tired by the end of that time, so we decided to come home. I bought gifts for almost all the people on my list; I just need to get a couple of gift cards and I'll be done.
In the evening, daughter went out to dinner with some of her friends from middle school and high school for their annual holiday get together. They started doing this when they were in high school - back then, it was a pot luck lunch at school, with each one bringing a dish. Then, when they went to college, it was a pot luck lunch at our house. In 2015, when I had started my chemo treatments, they decided to go out to dinner, instead, because they didn't want to disturb me, and they have continued to do the dinner, since then.
I rested in the evening, replied to blog comments, and caught up on a few blogs. One of my cousins called and we chatted for a bit. Later, my aunt called too, and we chatted.
Today, I am grateful for:
- Going shopping with my daughter
- Getting the majority of my holiday shopping done
- Good sales
- Daughter being able to get together with her friends
- Family calling to check on me
Plans for tomorrow include taking the car for a service in the morning and maybe a bit more shopping in the afternoon? I need to buy the gift cards and some tissue paper. I know daughter has plans to go out with some of her friends tomorrow evening, too. So maybe I'll start wrapping and bagging up gifts in the evening.
 |
| Dancer modeling the hat I knitted for my friend's daughters' new puppy |
Dancer looks so cute. I tried to put a Christmas pudding hat on Mog but she was not impressed. X
ReplyDeleteI think Dancer was tolerating it only because my daughter was petting him at the time.
DeleteWas it hard getting that cap on Dancer?
ReplyDeleteSurprisingly, no, because daughter was petting him and he was in a mellow mood. :)
DeleteBless, I love Dancer with the hat! He is such a good boy for letting you put it on him and posing for the pictures, lol. Knit him a red one so he can be Santa Paws!
ReplyDeleteI can't believe you were able to get most of your presents in a 2-hour timeframe. Are you Superwoman? I need to outsource my present shopping to you next year.
I love that your daughter has and kept those traditions with her friends! My daughter only has her one best friend who lives just a couple of blocks away and they do make sure to see each other each time she comes home (the friend goes to school locally), but it's hard for them to have traditions such as these as her friend is really sick. So they mostly hang out together at her house. She enjoys that anyway!
Good luck with your tasks today! I'll be mixing cookie dough, run to the library, and then come back to bake the cookies and make other goodies with my daughter. I'm done with the wrapping and shopping, thankfully!
Enjoy your day :)
Dancer was willing to put up with our nonsense because daughter was petting him at the time. But we had another cat, Damsel, who was very long-suffering and let daughter dress her in baby clothes!
DeleteNo, I am not Superwoman! But, once the decision was made what to get, it was a matter of picking out the gifts. All are getting fairly generic gifts, this year, and the majority of the ladies will get bath and beauty products. Daughter wanted a new jacket; she was going to pay for it, but I bought it for her - it was on sale for $19.99 (plus tax) - so that's her gift! She actually told me that I wasn't to get her a Christmas or birthday gift because I bought her her new phone, earlier this year, but I couldn't go without getting her something for Christmas, too.
It's important for our daughters to have at least one good friend, I think, especially if they are only children, like my daughter. The friends take the place of siblings.
Hope you have a lovely day, baking, etc., with your daughter. Don't forget to have a cookie or two for me! :)
My husband was a last minute shopper. He would go out on Christmas Eve, whatever the weather, and get it done quickly in the morning. I did all the other shopping, baking, mailing out cards and packages, and gift wrapping. His only job was to pick something up for me. He couldn't do wrapping, so he would take my stuff to a neighbour's house and ask them to do it. Then when my daughter was old enough, she got to do the wrapping until she got married and left home. Then he went back to asking friends. Haha. Let me tell you. I had some great friends who, despite all they had to do themselves on Christmas Eve, managed to get MY presents wrapped up.
ReplyDeleteGlad that your shopping is done AND that you can do your own wrapping.
Susan, I have done the Christmas Eve shopping, myself, some years. Sometimes, I'd shop after Christmas, because I used to meet most of my family for the New Year, rather than on Christmas Day.
DeleteBless, that is such a precious picture of Dancer in the little hat!
ReplyDeleteCarolie
Thank you! :D
DeleteCurious are the 35 people on your list mostly relatives? Is this a custom that is part of your culture? We do not purchase gifts for extended family members. Our list is quite short, children and grandchildren and I have a long time girl friend that I exchange a small gift with. Additionally I prepare a nice gift for the neighbor who gets our mail in, checks our house, when we are gone. Interesting how we all do things differently.
ReplyDeleteWe woke up today to about 2" snow, and more forecast tomorrow. So looks like a white Christmas with very cold temperatures next week. Looking forward to the Christmas Eve candlelight service at church. We will enjoy a Christmas dinner with our daughter, son-in-law and two of the grandsons. Very much missing our two sons, daughter-in-law and three other grandsons.
Sandy, a white Christmas! What fun! Just be careful going about in the snow and ice! I'm glad you'll be having Christmas dinner with your daughter and her family. Sorry your sons and their families can't be with you. It must be hard when the kids are in different places and all can't be together.
DeleteHalf of the people on my gift list are relatives - sister, nieces and their children, aunts, cousins and their children. The rest are friends, neighbors, and co-workers. Those members of the family and friends who are Christian, receive Christmas gifts. Those who are Buddhist, receive New Year gifts. Which is why I often refer to holiday gifts.
When my daughter was in day care and at school, I used to give to all the teachers, school staff, and her classmates (when she was in elementary school). One year, I had almost 100 people on my gift list! When daughter got to high school, she felt shy, initially, to give to her teachers, but, after the first year, her teachers would ask her if her mother was going to make her jams again and tell her that they were looking forward to receiving them! :D
I don't know if it is a cultural thing or not, but, in my family, we do give to extended family and close friends. Besides, I like to give. :)
I'm so glad you're having a time with your daughter. The shopping sounds like fun
ReplyDeleteSharon, the shopping was so much fun that we did it again, today! :D
DeleteI hope Dancer is getting a present for being such a smart model for a doggie hat! You did well with your last minute shopping. It's always a challenge for me to shop for presents but I found that it worked out in the end. I went out to the post office on Friday and managed to do some more shopping and decided that was it. Then today I realized that DH was working his way through the apples and there was no way there would be enough left so I sent him in for a couple of bags!
ReplyDeleteI got the tree decorated at last this morning and put the presents underneath and it looks very festive! It's one of the nicest balsam fir trees we have cut and I only put an angel on the top this time as the lighted star we had last year made the top bend over like a Charlie Brown tree and we had to fix a dowel to straighten it!
Ha, ha, Dancer will get a can of tuna in his stocking! And, maybe, a sock with some catnip in the toe!
DeleteGlad you have your tree all decorated! An angel on the top sounds very nice.
I did a little more shopping today; I still want to get a couple of gift cards, as well, but will do that, tomorrow. :)