I finished my Christmas shopping yesterday.
Yes, I said finished. Ten whole days before the big event.
I'm still waiting for a few packages to arrive, but everything in my possession is wrapped.
Yes, I said everything.
While I'm awfully proud of myself for accomplishing this for the first time in my entire life, I also realize it's no big feat given that I started the beginning of September. I actually thought I'd be finished sooner, but I ended up with a bad cold that severely cut into the one day we planned to shop for Punky. I took last Wednesday off so we could send her to daycare and finish all our shopping, but I was so sick and barely survived the toy store. The mall was simply out of the question. I just couldn't do it.
When we got home, Punky's dad was a real trooper. I wanted to get all her stuff wrapped and hidden before we picked her up at school, but I needed the couch. Badly. He tackled the project all by himself while I wallowed in my misery and wrote her name on the tags. He finished the job with fifteen minutes to spare.
I was able to order most of the remaining gifts I needed online, and I finished the last bit with a trip to the liquor store on my lunch hour yesterday. I'm not much of a drinker and, unfortunately for those in my life that are, I tend to shop for wine like I'm remodeling the living room or naming a puppy. The woman at the store tried to help me but quickly discovered I was a lost cause. She was throwing all kinds of technical wine jargon at me and getting responses like, "The picture on that bottle is so beautiful!" and "That's a cute name for a winery!"
The plan for this Christmas is the same as last year. Santa will be visiting us one night earlier than the rest of the world because are traveling again for the holiday. We will open our presents Christmas Eve morning and somehow manage to be out of the house around noon to go to his mom's for lunch with the family. Then we will make a quick stop back here to load the truck before making the two hour drive down for Christmas Eve supper with my family. We will be with Punky's godfather on Christmas morning and then at my sister's for the rest of the day. And on Monday we'll drive back home and watch Punky open the rest of her gifts.
I plan to wake her by eight that morning, but she'll only have about four hours to open her presents and play with her new stuff before we have to rush out the door. Take off another hour for eating breakfast, brushing her teeth, getting dressed, and making her morning pee. I'm not sure she's at the age yet where she'll rip through her presents at lightening speed just to see what's inside them. I think she's more likely to open one and insist on playing with it first before opening another. If she even opens any at all, that is. One present, that will be fully assembled in the middle of the living room, may distract her from all the packages waiting for her.
Yes, we did it. We caved. We ordered her a trampoline. I'm sure it's no surprise.
Seriously though, how could we not? It's all she's talked about for weeks. It was number one on her list. She told three different Santas for heavens sake. It was a tough decision for us but ultimately we just can't break her little heart.
The one we picked is a small indoor/outdoor one meant for kids her age. Although it's only forty-eight inches round and fourteen inches high, it still has the full net enclosure that you see on full-sized trampolines. It has some type of interactive sound module that will drive us completely mad while we count down the days till spring. As much as I hate the thought of a trampoline in my living room for months, I can wait to see the look on her face. I hope I still feel that way when winter seems to last forever.
So, judging by how she was with the rocking horse last Christmas, she may just spend her morning bouncing like a maniac and ignoring her other gifts. If that's the case, she'll finish them on Monday. Then she'll have her birthday two days later and her party on the weekend.
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