The Blonde Diaries

I have a love-hate relationship with christmas photo cards. I love to get them but I hate making and mailing my own. It just takes so long to write out personalized messages and then money to mail them. I know I am reeking of laziness in that last sentence.

This year though I am going to try to do cards. I am super excited because I made a photo reservation for Mike, myself, and Methai the Elephant over at the Houston Zoo next Saturday morning. I am not quite sure what we are going to wear but I think it is going to be a lot of fun and really unique. We should get our photos right away so I just need to figure out how to scan them into a jpg file so I can upload to a photo website and then create Christmas/Holiday cards with the photo. It will also be my first Christmas married with Mike so I’m also excited about that. I can’t wait to share the photos with all of you. Maybe they will be the Wordless Wednesday photo next week.

I love shopping for Christmas presents but sometimes I just run out of ideas. I can’t imagine what it must be like for larger families to try and find gifts that everyone will enjoy. I have noticed a growing trend some families have started that seems like an excellent idea: A family present. Basically, instead of small gifts for everyone, the money is pooled for one large gift everyone can enjoy such as a vacation or a game table.

I remember my best friend in high school had the coolest game room. We use to all hang out at her house because of the pool table. It was so much fun to close ourselves off in the game room and play all night before crashing for the evening. Pool tables are a tad pricey but an affordable alternative is the ping pong table. Mike and I always have a blast when we go on vacation and the hotel or cruise ship has one of these tables to play on. We aren’t great but it is so much fun and quite a workout. Most tables are relatively inexpensive so when we do finally get our own home I think we might try and pick one up. If you need help finding a gift for your family, a ping pong table might be a good idea.

I have to admit, I thought Mike was nuts when he started asking for an electric blanket for Christmas. Neither one of us had anything we really wanted for Christmas so we were scrambling to find small items to give one another and to suggest to our families. Out of the clear blue, Mike up and decided he wanted an electric blanket so that he could heat the bed up before we went to sleep each night. Well, my mom being the type to buy us whatever we wanted decided that if this is what he wanted then she would find him one. I just rolled my eyes and continued to shop for more fun things. We ended up receiving a dual controlled blanket that is also machine washable.

Can I just say that I would like to take back all eye rolls and bits of sarcasm I put out about wanting an electric blanket. I am just in love with this blanket and use it every day. I especially love that I can set my temperature as hot as I want and Mike can set his and turn it off when he’s done with it but I can keep mine going. It really is the gift that keeps giving and keeps us both happy. Who would have thought it?

Normally, I take advantage of pre-holiday sales and buy a few things for myself while I am out Christmas shopping. Mainly new work clothes and a dress here or there because finding nice things at a nice price can be hard. This year though, I found that after a certain point, I just could not find the right items at the right price. We keep hearing about retailers hurting but I just wasn’t seeing too much of that around Houston. Probably because we are a lagging city in economic times not a leading.

So I decided to wait on things until the after Christmas sales started to see what I could pick up. I am happy to report that sales have already started online THIS MORNING. It isn’t even after Christmas but Saks, Neimans, Nordstrom, and Sephora to name a few have already started slashing prices. So far the best deals seem to be at Saks where I have found $650 dresses for $150, $900 shoes for less than $200, etc. So if you are in the need for a nice party dress or good shoes for work go check out Saks and the rest of them ASAP! I am about to head over one last time to decide what I want before everyone else finishes their holiday celebrations and starts online shopping. LOL!

Merry Christmas everyone! It is finally Christmas morning at my parents house. I went to bed right after we got home from 11pm Mass (the new midnight mass) and was up bright and early at 7am. I am so ingrained in my daily habits that there was no way I’d be able to stay up and watch tv with the rest of my family. So of course I am up way earlier than anyone else waiting for everyone to wake up so I can see what is under the tree. I think I might venture out of my room in a few and peak at the stocking while I wait. I think the Disney parade might be coming on soon too.

Hope everyone has a safe and fun day today with your family, friends, whomever you choose to celebrate with.