My apologies to Charlie Brown

While we all know Christmas is not just about the gifts, I don't think I'm alone in enjoying the thrill of the search for just the right presents for people. Other than for Christmas and the kid(s) I don't shop much these days, so I've been enjoying myself lately. I'm trying to keep things reasonable due to budget, but I've had some fun. I've also been frustrated by companies hyping the Biggest! Sale! Ever! until I order something, and then they immediately offer a better price the very next day. So far Kohls and Land's End are on my shit list for sending me significant coupons within a day or two of me ordering something online. Both times I decided the level of pain-in-the-assness of returning the item and reordering with the coupon would not be worth it, but I'm still cranky. Just for the record.

Most of Nico's Christmas things were bought months ago, and I got quite a few secondhand but in perfect condition. Now I just have to figure out what's coming out for Christmas, what's waiting for his birthday three weeks later, and what (if anything) is going to be saved for future gift-giving occasions. His big Christmas gift is a kid's easel with a chalkboard on one side and a dry-erase board on the other, which I bought off a former coworker for the princely sum of $15. I still have no idea where we're going to put the thing, but it was too good to pass up. I'm really looking forward to him finding that on Christmas morning. He's also getting two fantastic Melissa & Doug trucks (Craigslist), for-keeps copies of a few of his favorite library books (used from Amazon since they're all out of print), and an alligator xylophone (Craigslist again). Every year I think that we haven't bought him enough and then by the end of the holiday MB are looking at each other and wondering if we should just sneak his gifts from us back upstairs unopened. The same thing will happen on his birthday, too. It's hard to exercise restraint, though, when he's so cute and I'm constantly seeing things in the stores that I suspect he'd love.

Anyway, scores of the week, just for fun:

Nico is starting to outgrow his current pajamas, so I bought him several pairs in the next size up. He'll be getting dinosaurs, fire trucks, and some fantastic excavator pjs that I didn't see online at all until after I spotted them at the store and snapped them up.

His school backpack came in the mail and it is many times more adorable in person, just because it is so freaking small and cute.

The owl clothes I've been coveting from Gymboree since Saly alerted me to their presence finally went on cheap-enough sale for me to consider them, plus I had a coupon for a free bodysuit with $10 purchase, so I ordered three onesies for the trilobite. Other than a secondhand glider and dresser for his room, I think I've only bought him a pair of footie pjs from Goodwill, a clearance onesie from BRU, and a stuffed animal, so I'm not feeling too profligate.

How about everyone else? How's the shopping going, and what are your best scores of late?


Reading:  Dodger by Terry Pratchett

Playing:  Mumford & Sons and some Christmas music, of course