Christmas in July

The child has completed her first draft of her Christmas list. I expect it to change a few times before December.

I am participating in quarterly weird secondhand shop gift exchanges, where all the gifts are meant to be odd. I have received my funny gift from my Secret Santa, the theme this quarter; Christmas in July.

Christmas in July. I never thought about the origins of it before.

Christmas in July started based on the fact that Christmas is during the summertime for the southern hemisphere. In order to experience Christmas during the winter time, residents of the southern hemisphere started to host Christmas-themed celebrations in the month of July, which for them is the peak of their winter season.

There are lots of people who celebrate it, besides me and my weirdos.

Some findings from the Google; 

The Hallmark Channel will be airing holiday favorites from July 12 to July 28.

A town in Commerce, Texas uses this time to do their fundraising for their annual toy drive.

Commerce, TX Toy Drive

What a wonderful idea. This will ensure that these children will indeed have a good Christmas. I think I may borrow this idea for next year!

Halfway Point

A few days ago my daughter started her Christmas list.

I figure it will be a few more weeks before we start with the Christmas movies.

This week was the kick-off of our library's Summer Reading Program. Naturally, one of the kiddo's selections was a Christmas book;

Milly and the Macy's Parade

by Shana Corey

Based on the real events of the 1924 parade, organized by immigrant employees at Macy's eager to incorporate their old-world traditions into their new American heritage.

Secrets of the Macy's Parade

Christmas Club

In the days of old, people had little savings accounts that were ear-marked for Christmas. The Christmas Club.

I am a year round shopper. I just tuck away little things here and there as I come across them. Stow them away for the next Christmas.

I was on a post about saving for Christmas and someone else shared one of their secrets; gift cards.

Many of us give gift cards for Christmas, for those difficult to shop for folks.

She had a great idea. Every pay day she adds money to gift cards. To Amazon, for shopping later in the year. For stores that her recipients will get a gift card to.

I love this. Just a few dollars each month, and at the end of the year, you have a little Christmas nest egg.

Elf on the Shelf...Shelved.

We were formerly an Elf on the Shelf household. Our elves were the fun sort, mischievous even.

My youngest is of the generation where parents have turned the elf into a spy. A threat when you want your kid to behave. Santa is gonna be mad at you kind of thing.

I really hate that. My daughter cried when we spoke of the elf this year. 

So my elves were shelved. Like possibly permanently. I liked Jingle and Jangle and their baby, Holly.

Last year, I donated my girl elf, Jangle, to a friend. Her kids were excited for the elf. She had two and their current elf was a boy.  The littlest in her house wanted an elf of her own. So, as mine has shunned the elf, I rehomed her.

This year, Jingle stayed in the Christmas bin. Holly, she was graduated to a grown-up elf ( a redheaded vintage elf that I found a couple of years ago) but she never got to come out.

I'm thinking next year I'm going to make the elves fun again. Show my daughter that the elves aren't something to fear.

I mean, if I wanted to scare her, I'd use Krampus. 

As Is Tradition

We try every year to make a few things. Usually we go for hand-painted ornaments for the relations, as the little person has the giving spirit, but not a lot of skill and, most definitely -a short attention span.

We went to Michael's and JoAnn's for this year's haul. Wooden ornaments. Purple was the chosen color of the year.

We found a new paint to try; Crayola's Washable Kids' Paint. Sign hailed it as blendable and smooth. Easy to use. And of course, washable.

What we also discovered is that Michael's and JoAnn's both had everything holiday related not nailed down on sale. 40-50% off sale, to be exact. So we may have decided to try a few other things as well.

We were all kinds of excited, dorks that we are, and got carried away. As I retrieved the bags from the carousel, I belted out Thank you! Have a nice day! And wait for it...

Merry Christmas!

She laughed but sheesh...it's barely November.

Meh, it's not like I went home and put up the tree.


But I thought about it.

Tick Tock, My Internal Christmas Clock

It is early August and I am halfway done with my shopping.

I think I've glossed over the details about the hunt at times. Saying it's all in the planning, keep lists with sizing, interests about everyone on the list. But now, the kiddos on my list have hit that uncomplicated stage where they like the creative kits. Arts. Crafts. Science.

Now I just look for the extremely good deals.

Where I Go

Goodwill. No, I am not buying used things to give people. Unless it's something of the collectibles variety. You know we all have at least one, a relative that collects figurines or vintage buttons or whatever. However, you'd be surprised at how many new in the box things get donated. Probably gifts from a relative that didn't have my innate skill of being the best gift giver ever.

Plus you'll find new rolls of wrapping paper, bags of vintage ornaments. Here, it is all about going early on new arrival days and being able to browse. Your local store has deliveries from the distribution center.

Get friendly with an associate or two and they'll tell you the scoop. What days they get new things coming out. The days that they switch over to the half-price color code. But sometimes you REALLY have to be able to dig in. And not be shy. Lurk near the doors to pounce on the new carts they roll out from the back.

Helpful hints: Best done without your little people in tow. The sales associates do not care if you do this, as long as you don't be a slob about it. If they wheel out a new cart and you take all the stuff, it's less work for them. However, if you decide it's not what you wanted after all, and they've returned to the back with their little goody cart? Put the discard where it goes.

Kohls and Target. Hands down, the BEST clearance sales. They happen often, and they go low, low, low. Watch those endcap deals.

And then this is where the lists come in. If you have adopted my planning tool; your handy dandy Christmas notebook. As you collect your steals and deals, assign them to whoever you had in mind for them when you grabbed them.

Christmas in July

Is the love of Christmas just in my DNA?

Itty Bitty has begun her Christmas movie obsession.

Mickey's Once/Twice Upon a Christmas has once again gone into rotation. Now Frosty and Rudolph have joined in.

Then the bedtime book selection ended up being a Christmas book.

Yes, I confess.

I keep out the red and green metal bucket of books out all year long.

In the words of Dickens;