Check It Off

Every year, I am shocked once again by the fact that my “must buy for” gift list has become a pyramid that could rival the ones in Egypt. Of course there’s the top tier—the kids and my beloved, then the next tier—the in-laws, close friends, nieces and nephews…but we’re all used to that. What I can’t get used to is that last tier that seems to be unique to moms—the teachers, the hockey coaches, the babysitters, the friends of the kids whose parents insist on buying for my kids every year (the list goes on). To keep myself sane, I track everything with a spreadsheet, including a budgeted amount, actual cost and then whether or not the gift has not only been bought but also wrapped and delivered.
But my real sanity saver has got to be online shopping. I don’t know how I ever lived without it! Whether it’s the kids’ gifts from online stores like Mastermind, books for everyone from Indigo or big orders of cute personalized stuff from mom-run online boutiques like Kathy and Kim Originals for all the random kids on the list, I am definitely letting my fingers do the shopping. And of course, I am also stocking up a gift basket filled with small things I have picked up here and there (a gourmet sauce, a helpful book, a handful of affordable kids’ toys) just in case I have that surprise situation where someone shows up with an unexpected gift. What’s your seasonal sanity saver? I’d love to know.