Go ahead, laugh at me

Here we are just mere days, nay HOURS, from Christmas 2008. As I admitted before the plan was to have Chris do the bulk of the holiday shopping. I played the supporting role, making tons of holiday goodies, getting gifts for teachers and friends, but leaving the meat of the buying to him. It. Was. Killing. me!!!! And that is no understatement. I was having difficulty sleeping. Having panic attacks. Night sweats. Terror. Christmas is supposed to be MAGICAL for children. And this very first Christmas for Ahren is more important to me than I wanted to admit. I have 2 other holidays to make up for. 

I cracked like a great big faberge egg on a roller coaster. I finally asked Chris if he might want a little help and fessed up that I had a contingency plan already in place. he laughed and laughed and then told me, 'Thank you'. Whew. He needed my help. (Or at least he let me believe he needed my help. I prefer to believe that he was in a desperate panic himself and I saved him from certain failure.....) So I shopped and placed orders and organized a well-thought-out holiday for all, while simultaneously spending much less than usual. Oh the deals I got! My best buy was a large water play table that folds up into a carrying case. It retailed for $79.99 regularly and I got it for .......are you ready?..........$4.99 and free shipping.  Seriously! And it is NICE! 

I always have a hard time buying for some people. The answer there is gift cards. I know, it kind of sucks to not really have a present to open, but I think of it more as the gift that gives in more than one way. Not only do you get to choose what you want, you have the enjoyment of getting out and doing the choosing yourself. See? It's win:win! 

So this year I bought several hundred dollars worth of gift cards at our local grocery store. I managed to buy for many different people all at once! Seeing as how I started so late this seemed like sheer genius to me. When I got home I placed all of the cards in a small bag along with the receipts and the activation info and then I put the bag in a safe place. (Did anyone else just feel that cold chill pass thru them?) 

This past week I went to pull out the cards and put them into gifts. They weren't where I remembered putting them. They weren't near where I remembered putting them. They weren't even where I DIDN'T remember putting them. OMG! I asked everyone if they remembered seeing them. Not one person even KNEW what I was talking about! We are talking serious panic. If I had to re-purchase all the cards my budget for the holidays was SHOT. I couldn't even remember who all I had bought for, nor what I had gotten them. I am a total idiot!!!! (The irony did not escape me at this point) 

I searched for days. I hated myself. I planned how to find an extra $400 in the budget without Chris knowing. I thought about running away and joining the circus (only the thought of spandex stopped me). And then, last night, I dreamed. I dreamed about the bag of cards. I dreamed about where I moved them to after I decided the first place was not good enough. It was clear and realistic and so detailed!

I awoke this morning and headed straight for the spot I saw in my dream. Guess what I found? The gift cards. Right where my subconscious told me I put them. 

Go ahead. Laugh. Consider that your holiday gift form me. Oh, and YES, I am blonde. sigh...