Tag Archives: Christmas

Taking the Stress Out of Christmas Shopping

**This post does contain affiliate links. You can find my disclosure policy here.

I haven’t been to a mall in years, seriously, I don’t remember the last time that I went TO a store to do my Christmas shopping {or any gift shopping}. For me, it’s always been mail-order. Last week I decided I wanted to be done with my Christmas shopping before Thanksgiving {I used to be done before Labor Day…that hasn’t happened in years!}.

Taking the Stress out Christmas Shopping @JessicaMWhite.com

I sat down with the wish list for the kids, nieces and nephews, and finished it all on Amazon.com, then later in the week, headed over to DaySpring.com and finished the rest of it there. It all ships to my house and I don’t have to go anywhere {I have enough wrapping paper in the attic to choke an elephant}.

My biggest advice with Christmas shopping, do what you need to to make it as easy on yourself as possible. Honestly, there is no such thing as the perfect gift, and spending hours stressing about it isn’t going to help anyone, especially you. Don’t wait until the last minute, when you feel pressured and end up getting something just to get something, or spending way more on something just because.

Better yet, talk to the people you normally buy for and perhaps agree to not even do the whole gift thing {yes, it can be an awkward conversation}, they’re probably stressing about it as much as you {that’s what we do with my brother and sister} OR do a name exchange and only have to shop for one person {what we do with Matt’s family}.

And you know what, gift cards are always awesome! I remember the day when it was considered taboo to even consider buying someone a gift card, but honestly, most people would rather get a gift card they can use than a gift they have to return or are stuck with. I know I would…Amazon.com gift cards are always awesome.

I completely do not endorse the whole Black Friday in store shopping day. I did it once, to try and get a washing machine on sale, and drove through a snow storm to the store an hour away at 4:30 in the morning, to get there and give up, because the store was a zoo. I ended up not even being late to work.

If there are sales that you can take advantage of via the internet, go for it! Especially if it means helping small business owners {via etsy.com or anywhere else} or through affiliate links from your favorite bloggers ;-). If your town has a Small Business Saturday {usually the Saturday after Thanksgiving} take advantage of that, because honestly, those people are going to appreciate your money more than Amazon.com or Best Buy will {it’s probably what’s going to be paying for their Christmas gifts}.

What are you tips and tricks with dealing with the crazy consumerism of the Christmas Season?

***I know I’m seriously plugging for Amazon.com: This is not a sponsored post, I wish it was…especially since I never bought the Amazon.com stock when I first heard of them 15 years ago…does anyone even remember Buy.com {FYI Buy.com preceded Amazon.com, same concept, but no longer even exists}?

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Cookies & Memories

None of us could fathom why my Oma would spend the countless hours that she did making those cookies: The ones that had to be rolled out to paper thin-ness, the ones that were more nuts and butter than flour, the ones that no matter what you did the dough crumbled at the most feathery of touches. Always wondering why on earth you made a double batch of these things, but glad in the end that you did.

“You’re as bad as your grandmother!”

I’ve now had the mantle of Spitzbuben-perfection passed on to me. I roll the dough, paper thin, patching the cracks with a gentle push, stabbing dough over and over again with my Oma’s cookie cutters.  Cookie cutters that are probably older than my mother, but show the quality of their craftsmanship in that very age.

And I think to myself, all the while, that I don’t even remember ever making these cookies even once with her. They were the cookies that were made during the Silent Night. Which is it that stands? The memory of a perfect sandwich of butter, nuts, and raspberry jam or the memory of my Oma actually making them? And does it really even matter?

Whether it’s the cookie or the experience, it’s still my Oma. It’s still her hands that made each and everyone of the thousands upon thousands that she made during her life. It’s still her hands that molded the dough and held the cookie cutters. It’s still her hands that have molded us into who WE are.

My Oma was not one to tell you how much she loved you. She was German. She was born in 1931, at the beginning of Hitler and WWII; there was no room for emotion, but there was room for love. To her, growing up with so little, most likely hungry, to her, love was food. It was the food she made that showed her love: The more difficult, the more time consuming, the more fragile, the more love.

And you know what, that “You’re as bad as your grandmother”…. I take that as a compliment.

Cookies and Memories My Oma's Spitzbuben Cookie Recipe @JessicaMWhite.com

 

*And yes, you may need to add a touch more butter to the dough to get it just right.

Comment Baking & Cooking, Christmas