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LoriA - > LoriA's Blog -> Win a $50 Macy's Gift Card
Win a $50 Macy's Gift Card

Are you ready for Christmas?

Have you started your Christmas shopping yet? Are you shopping early this year, or are you planning to brave the crowds the week before?

Tell us your plan of attack and you'll be automatically entered to win a $50 Macy's gift card to put towards your future Christmas purchases.

Responses must be posted by Friday, November 21. Winner will randomly selected and notified by email on Monday, November 24, 2008.

Topics: win christmas macys gift card
posted by LoriA on Friday, November 7, 2008 at 11:05 AM
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39 comments from 39 users

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posted by PHILIVIRGO on Nov 7, 2008 at 01:37 PM
I am definatly ready for Christmas, have a little bit of shopping to finish but ready to celebrate. I plan to finish up before the end of november to beat the rush and the long lines.
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posted by hottpinkjess on Nov 7, 2008 at 01:38 PM

I'm doing all my shopping online this year! Why waste gas ? Why waste time and energy fighting through crowds. Half the time I end up buying things for myself anyway!! Plus alot of online store offer gift wrapping too! Talk about a time saver... With an 8 month old son to lug around I could use a little extra time!

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posted by grajes1 on Nov 7, 2008 at 03:09 PM
I love the holidays, but if you don't get yourself prepared, you can really get overwhelmed!  Here's my plan of attack:

1) Make a list of all the people I need to buy for and what I'm going to get them. 
2) Start searching for the best prices/deals.  Usually it's online (Ebay) as they have the best deals and I don't have to fight the crowds at the mall.
3) Discuss with hubby if we're doing cards, letters, or picture postcards for our family, friends and clients and get started on that.
4) Get the tree the day after Thanksgiving and start the outside decorations.  I like to have my tree up as long as possible. 
5) Figure out the "family schedule".  Which family are we visiting on which days?  Because I like to spend Christmas Day at home with my husband and children, we have to decide which other day(s) we are visiting extended family and can we do it all in one day?
6) Figure out what I am baking for the neighbors and which day I can do that with my daughter.
7) I like to do something for the less fortunate with my children, so they know how fortunate they really are.  Whether it's through one of their schools or our church, figure out what that will be this year.
7) Fortunately we already have the holiday celebration evening planned with close friends and without the children...woo hoo! 

I love the holidays!!!
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posted by theurbanmom on Nov 7, 2008 at 07:51 PM

I ususally finish up by October, but am late this year.  We're going very simple this year, as son has way too much stuff already, but want to give him a festive season.  We're going to focus on the traditions instead of the gifts.

He started a new tradition this year.  We have a pine tree out front, so we decorated it with little jack-o-laterns.  Now we're working on turkeys for the "thanksgiving tree" and then gingerbread kids for the "Christmas tree". 

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posted by alexandersmom on Nov 7, 2008 at 09:25 PM
I haven't started shopping yet....I always wait until the week before...there are usually great deals!!!
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posted by pumpituproseville on Nov 7, 2008 at 10:52 PM
Every year I plan my Black Friday (BF) event using all the online BF sites to prepare my plan of attack. I gather all my ads on Thanksgiving night after every one is throughly stuffed. With my trusty side-kick (aka sister-in-law) we map out our plan. At 4:30am we are ready to go with coffee in hand. We usually can complete all the major gifts shopping for the kids and family members by 10am then off to lunch. Once we unpack and hide the santa gifts we take a much needed nap.
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posted by hmoeckli on Nov 8, 2008 at 07:03 AM
I'm such a slacker when it comes to Halloween typically. Most years I don't start until Dec.20th. Yeah, it's crazy, but the sales are GREAT, especially at the Macy's jewelry counter.

This year we will be having a small Christmas, but I've tried picking up a few things as I've seen them in an attempt to spread the cost out over several months.
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posted by MonkeyBoysMom on Nov 8, 2008 at 03:47 PM
We don't really have a game plan just yet... Our Halloween decorations just came down, but I am vowing to take it easy & not stress about the little things this holiday season! As with most other folks nowadays, we have a severely limited Christmas budget this year, and in many ways, I think that's great.  It's forcing my husband & I to be more creative with our gifts, and I think it brings back the true meaning of Christmas for us.  It's about spending great times with friends and family...not getting stressed out at the mall and searching for that perfect gift that just never seems to be on sale. For a lot of the families we know, we plan on purchasing a fun board game (which usually go on a buy-one-get one sale this time of year) and include some homemade snacks & goodies in a cute basket for a game night for each family, rather than individual gifts for each family member & kids. 
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posted by JulieHintz on Nov 8, 2008 at 05:35 PM

My game plan goes like this:  Leave up Halloween decorations, at least until Thanksgiving, and tell kids that a ceramic jack-o-lantern is the same thing as a harvest pumpkin.  Explain that decorations that looked like witches for Halloween, look a LOT like pilgrims for Thanksgiving.  Then, after Thanksgiving (most likely not IMMEDIATELY after, but sometime before Christmas), take those down and put up Christmas decorations.  These will be left up probably until the kids go back to school in January, and there's a good chance they might stay up even a little longer than that...

As for shopping, I do that all year long, but the big items get bought in November and December.  I've done my two days of shopping for this month, so the rest will have to get finished up between Dec. 1 and Dec. 3rd, most likely.  (I don't really get paid to do much of anything, and my husband gets paid once a month, so we have disposable income for approximately two or three days at the beginning of each month and then we're on to bread crusts and spitting in the gas tank HOPING that will "extend" the fuel.)

So, there's the plan.  It's relatively stress-free, actually...the rest is all wrapping and hiding stuff.

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posted by jjumju on Nov 9, 2008 at 06:45 AM
I've done all my Christmas shopping for kids as I find great bargains throughout the year and save the gifts in my closet.  For the adults, it's harder.  I may just go with gift cards this year.
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posted by tiffanimorgan on Nov 9, 2008 at 06:24 PM
Typically, I shop early and am prepared for the holidays before they arrive.  However, this year my plate is full with being a mom, wife and a nursing student.   My time is valuable and I am planning on doing much of my shopping online this year for convenience.
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posted by LL on Nov 10, 2008 at 03:51 AM

i typically buy gift cards about a week or two before the xmas holiday..

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posted by nancyr on Nov 10, 2008 at 02:14 PM
I have already started Christmas shopping this year, however, I plan to have it done the day after Thanksgiving.  I don't typically go shopping the day after Thanksgiving because I hate the crowds, but this year I'm ready to see what it's all about.  My best friend and I will meet at the mall early and shop til we're done!
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posted by nfscales on Nov 11, 2008 at 07:18 AM
NOt haing much money this year I hae been discussin with my children the true meaning of chritsmas....We came up with a really cute plan...on christmas we are going to bake jesus a cake and sing happy birthday jesusand we wil hae abirthday party for him..then we want to go to the local retirement home and sing some carols or delier some christmas cards and maybe some sugar free candy.  realistcally my kids know i cant afford much so I will get them one or two gifts but ity will deff be something small.  I want to reinstall the true meaning of christmas into my childrens lies instead of everything being so comercialized and about getting instead of giving.
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posted by RosevilleDad on Nov 11, 2008 at 10:39 AM
I've never gone for standing in line at 4am before, might do it this year. Sounds like there
will be some amazing incentives to get shopping early. The regular tradition is to
1) Get cards out by second week of Nov
2) Send out of state packages by first week of Dec
3) Decorate third week of Dec
4) Shop throughout season for kid, wait to last minute for spouse. Not recommended. :)
5) Buy self gift from post holiday specials.
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