Christmas Shopping Adventures Begin

Today is our official Christmas Shopping day. In a few hours, the kids and I will load up in the car and head out for a fun day at the mall. Okay who am I kidding….it will probably be as much fun as a trip to the dentist. We will spend the first hour trying to find a parking spot. I have to laugh thinking back to Christmas shopping with my mom. At Christmas time, she would see someone walking to their car and follow them to get their space. It reminded me of the wisemen following the north star to get to the manger!
In an effort to save a little money, I thought that this year I would have each child draw one of their siblings name. That way they could get that one person a nice gift. I am still trying to figure out how we will divide and conquer so that I can take each child to the store they need to go to without letting their sibling know what they are getting. It was even confusing to write that!
It is not a complete day of shopping without visiting Santa. My teenagers will be mortified, but every year since my first child was born, I have a picture of them with Santa. It is funny to watch how they have grown and how their facial expressions have changed. They have gone from tiny babies staring at Santa, to screaming toddlers, to excited school age children sharing their lists with this magical man, to mortified teens that can’t believe they have to have their picture taken with their young siblings and Santa. The neat thing is, that regardless of how cool they are, I can still see the twinkle of excitement in their eyes as they stand there.
So off we go…wish us luck. I hope you are all having a wonderful holiday season and would love to hear about your funny shopping adventures or tips for making holiday shopping easier when you have kids! You can share your stories and contact me at www.blythenewsome.com.