Just over two weeks remain until Christmas and I have absolutely no ambition to do any shopping, decorating, baking or planning. I don’t feel like taking the kids to meet Santa, I definitely don’t want to wrap gifts – gifts that I have yet to buy.

As years pass, I find Christmas more and more of a hassle. I hate that I feel that way about it, but with the commercialization of it all, it’s just not the happy go-lucky season everyone makes it out to be. It’s a time of anxiety and stress for me. I worry about what to buy for people. Worry if they’re going to like it, and how much money have I have to spend on those gifts.

High stress.

Sure, everyone says it’s the thought that counts, but have you ever really thought THAT when you’ve gotten probably the most shittest gift you’ve ever recieved? Gee, thanks for thinking of me. As you hold up that waterproof shower radio trying to convincingly smile so that your disappointment is not completely apparent by the scowl crossing your face.

I mean, sure maybe that really did put thought into that shower radio, but really? A shower radio?

Mike tells me every year not to stress about it and if I can’t think of anything just get gift cards. I personally find gift cards to be such a cop out. To me they come across as: I really couldn’t be bothered to think of something to get you, so got get it yourself. But on the other hand, I don’t want to go out and stress for hours about what to get for someone when they can take that card and buy what they like and be happy.

I think I just put too much thought into this, and even though I realize that it’s not going to stop me from sitting here and avoiding shopping until I have no time left and even smaller selection to choose from.

Couldn’t make it any harder on myself, could I?

So, tell me. What do you do? How do you decide what to get people? How do you avoid the shopiing stresses?

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