Last week was crazy . . . but the majority of my Christmas shopping is DONE!
I know.
I can’t believe it either.
Some of that was from one quick stop where I knocked out a huge chunk of my list, but the other was due to the fact that I’d prepared ahead enough to get my daughter’s BIG gift into layaway at Walmart a few weeks ago.
With everything going on, it was a huge relief to not have to worry about that. Especially since the day when I’d decided I needed to pick it up didn’t exactly turn out to be an easy one.
Nope.
That was the day of the lost keys.
The day when I was pretty sure I was going to lose my mind.
So it was a relief that the real work on this big Christmas purchase had already been done. I headed to Walmart and realized that maybe the world wasn’t totally against me since I got my very favorite parking spot.
The one by the cart return.
I walked in and immediately grabbed a bag of totally-justified-by-my-stressful-week/day yumminess. (I’d been planning that impulse buy all day long . . .)
I was excited to get the Disney Princess Castle home and hidden. It hasn’t taken many Mommy Mind Games at all. I’m confident my six year old daughter will be asking Santa for this castle for her Cinderella and Snow White and other princesses to call home.
Checking this big thing off my list was sure to help my scattered brain rest a little.
I headed straight back to Layaway. The one negative I’ve heard about using layaway? Lines. Like everyone and his sister lining up at the same time to get his/her Christmas stash.
(This was the biggest reason I was there a week before the December 14th deadline.)
Thankfully, there was only one other person in line. It was fairly painless to pay, and I received my $5 fee back on a gift card (which I couldn’t use as part of my payment).
I saw a sign that said they wanted people to come pick up their layaway items on specific days according to their last initial . . . which made me ever-so-much-more glad I was beating the crowd.
I was a little surprised that after paying, I was told that it was going to take “a while” to get my Disney Princess Castle out of storage. I pressed for the definition of “a while” and was told ten minutes.
Or fifteen. Maybe twenty.
I shopped for the other things I needed, and even scored a Disney Princess lip gloss on clearance for 23 cents! In less than ten minutes, they announced that my layaway was ready, and I picked it up.
That . . . was easy.
I took it straight home to hide in my closet, and checked one big To Do off the endless list inside my head.
Whew.
Every time I open my closet and see the to-be-put-together-on-Christmas-Eve castle, I giggle inside. I know that everything is in place for a magical Christmas morning for my daughter.
Oh, and the irony? I passed by a display with plenty of the castles. But I’m still glad I didn’t wait, even if it was just for peace of mind.
How are you doing on your Christmas shopping?
If your daughter is into princesses, check out Disney’s twitter and the Disney Princess Facebook page.
I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and Disney Consumer Products, Inc. The opinions, experiences and overly-stressful days are all mine. #CBias #SocialFabric
I have most of mine done too. The big stuff except my TV that my mom is helping me buy for me for my Christmas gift. I have to pick it up by Friday this week.
I feel like I should be done. But I don’t know.
Are you baking too?
My goal is to bake this week after school with the kids. Unfortunately, this week is filling up quickly, so I hope we actually get it done! (I also want to do some crafts with them!)
I am flipping out!! over the amount of shopping or gift making I still have left to do. Somehow or another I completely forgot about the grandparents & I typically order photo calendars for them….when did I realize this?? 1a.m. last night 0-:
But I know it will all work out.
We also just bought the tree yesterday, need to decorate that & I have a bunch of bath salts/body scrubs I need to make
But it will all work out. (Even if I don’t sleep until Jan 2 LOL)
Also your favorite spot is my favorite spot too. My 5yo even helps me look for a spot by the cart corral ROFL
I do calendars too, but didn’t see my family at THanksgiving, so I didn’t get to take pics like I usually do! So, they’re all getting Christmas socks and a note that their calendars will be coming in the mail soon!
Maybe it’s a mom thing….that’s also my favorite spot in a parking lot! 🙂
My Christmas shopping is coming along nicely. Except I’ll still remember just one more thing I need to get.
I think it IS a mom thing. I know I didn’t do that until I had a baby in the cart that I couldn’t leave alone in the car but didn’t want to lug back across the parking lot from the cart return.
Seriously, the spot next to the cart return is the best spot in the parking lot. I don’t care how far I have to trudge in to the store, it’s the trudge to the cart return that drives me nuts.
We thought we were done with Christmas shopping, but my husband started to “REORGANIZE” the guest room, aka box haven, and LOST the package of pirates that were part of a present. So, now I’m doing the “do I buy more pirates? do I try and find the pirates? If she (yes, she) gets two sets of pirates, so I have enough stuff for another daughter?”
Ugh – I hate the trying to make it even. My two youngest are each getting a BIG present – because I majorly scored and got them awesome presents way cheap. So, is my 10-year-old going to be jealous, because her presents cost the same, but they definitely do not have the coolness factor of a pirate ship and a princess castle.
Ugh. I totally understand that dilemma! It’s what makes bargain shopping a blessing AND a curse!
I LOVE how the “20 Days ’till Christmas” sign is right next to the WINE! Awesome. Perfect for mom’s who need a little Christmas pick-me-up after they do their shopping. Think the store did that on purpose since they knew parents would be stressed out if they wait too long to shop? I live in Tennessee where liquor/wine can only be sold in liquor stores (boo!).
I love parking by the cart return thing too!
Yay for minimal Mommy Mind Games! And your favorite parking spot! And short lines! AND… checking things off your list!
Done except for the wrapping – which I HATE!
…eeww! How am I doing? Well, since we are having a family wide ‘HOMEMADE’ Christmas… and I got a late start…AWFUL! with a CAPITAL “AW”.
you know?
have a good one, so glad you have your ready to be assembled box of pieces sitting securely in an undisclosed SECRET PLACE!
🙂 Pat
For the last couple years I have ventured out into new Christmas shopping territory for me and have done most of my shopping online. This year I did the very vast majority of my Christmas shopping online and reduced my in-store shopping to only having to go to two stores! With three kids ages 5 and under, one of whom has a birthday this week, and two of them having just gotten over the flu…..you can imagine what a relief it is to know that all I have to do is wait for my on-line orders to come to my doorstep and wrap em up! I have thoroughly enjoyed doing my Christmas shopping from the comfort of my couch. 😉
Oh and the parking spot next to the cart return is totally my favorite spot too!