it's beginning to look a lot like....

Halloween.

But I'm Christmas shopping and I'm half done. Crazy I know. It seems ridiculous when I say it out loud, but I love being done before Thanksgiving so that I can enjoy the holiday.

I already have my sister Amber's family half done (and it is choice. My family does a gag gift exchange.) I have my in-laws done (this is always the hardest one) so I'm feeling pretty sweet. And now that Aaron's family has (controversially) moved to a sibling exchange, I only have one more Favero to shop for. . .it would be easier to remember who we have this year if sweet Megan had created a user-friendly system of exchange. But instead she went with the ultimate randomizer and I need Aaron to tell me who we have (once he digs deep into his email archive). Smooches, Megan.

I have all my stockings planned out...Aaron I'm in a debate about. And the kids, well, they don't want anything particular this year so they may be an easy crap shoot. All the same, I feel good because I'm confident I'll be done in just a few weeks.

Now I just need to wrangle the kids for a family photo so we can do cards this year. I skipped it last year because it was just one more thing. But then great grandmas heaped unintentional guilt on us when they told us they read our Christmas cards all the time. I'm a swine grandchild. Maybe I'll put together a great grandma care package this year.

Aaron sidebar: he gets home tonight after a long week in New Orleans. I've got a babysitter for tomorrow so we can paint the town. But if he's suffering from manopause or the grumpies I'm going to give him a smack bottom.