Well, it’s just after Christmas but before New Years, so this is definitely the time when I feel fat, relaxed, and am trying NOT to join any family drama. Which means today’s blog is going to be really easy. (Apologies, btw, to people of other faiths. I have no idea how you celebrate the week before New Years, or if there is anything special going on beyond–hopefully–having time off)

 

During this week between Christmas and New Years, what is your favorite thing to do? Shopping is the fav of my kids. (Yes, I have girls. How did you guess?) Reading is my husband’s particular favorite next to watching sports. I love gabbing with my sisters and NOT getting assigned babysitting duties. (My sisters have LITTLE kids aged 9 month up to 6 years.) Much of my family loves games, games, and games. (Catan anyone?)

 

 

So…what’s your pick? One lucky commentor will get a copy of In Good Hands, by Kathy Lyons!

Hopefully you’re all recooperating from too much turkey and late night shopping. Let’s take an impromptu poll.

1. Turkey or ham?

2. Stuffing or dressing? (is there a difference?)

3. pumpkin or pecan?

4. early morning shopping or sleeping in?

5. Macy’s parade or Hallmark Christmas movies?

Everyone who does the quiz is entered to win a copy of In Good Hands!

So a few weeks ago, I bought an iPad.  The reasons (excuses) are myriad and all boil down to this.  I needed (wanted) a tablet-like thing, and even though I’m PC all the way, nothing available beat the iPad.  So I bought one.  And I LOVE it.  My husband, btw, HATES it.  Why?  Well because this is what I do every morning before I even get out of bed.

I wake up and reach for the iPad.  I download my email before I’ve managed to blink four times.  And while I’m in a weak and vulnerable state, all those beautiful ads pop up. 20% off, just touch here!  Sale today!  Shop now!

Easy peezy!  I touch the SHOP button because I really don’t want to face the day.  And instant gratification appears.  All those lovely things I could buy!  Oh how much fun it is!  No more standing in line on Black Friday.  No more combing my hair or getting dressed.  All I have to do is touch a button, and bam, the whole world of internet shopping is available to me while I lounge against my pillows.  And after a Thanksgiving day dinner like I ate this year, believe me when I say I did NOT want to get out of bed for any reason at all!

So tell me what your secret shopping habit is.  Are you a crack of dawn Black Friday shopper?  Or a laze in bed internet binger?  (That would be me, btw).  Tell me, tell me, and one lucky commenter will get a copy of my newest Blaze, Taking Care of Business by Kathy Lyons.

Yesterday was Black Friday. For all the wild shoppers out there, that means a cold, sleepless night of bargain shopping, wristband snagging, killer sales deals galore. For most of us, its that day we sleep off the Thanksgiving feast stupor.

Early in the week, my sister-in-law (hereafter referred to as SIL) asked me if I wanted to go out with her at midnight Thursday to do a little Black Friday shopping. I laughed. Seriously. I’m all for shopping -and am always up at midnight. But Black Friday? Isn’t that the traditional trampling-shoppers-day? Um, no thank you. But then she started quoting deals. iPods, Rock Band (the Leggo version, no less!), dolls and toys and clothes. Suddenly there were a million things NOT on my gift-buying list that I just had to have.

So I quit laughing and told SIL maybe.

She called Thursday night to see if I was ready to rock. I was actually in the middle of making a pie (we celebrated Thanksgiving on Friday since there were so many demands for everyone’s time on Thursday), but stopped crimping the crust to flip through the ads and talk bargains. There were tons. But as usual, time and sanity had cooled my impulse-shopping-jets.

I looked at the ads. I looked at my half-crimped-crusted pie. And It told my SIL I was going to skip the wild and crazy times of Black Friday shopping.

What stopped me? The only thing I was really REALLY tempted to brave the chilly air, crowds and credit card shock on… it was for myself. Hey, that new iPod Touch is awesome! But after long consideration (at least a minute) I decided to stay home and finish making the pie, then reward myself by curling up on the couch to read (Better Naughty Than Nice – its on shelves now!) and relax. But I did put that iPod Touch on my birthday list…

So how about you? Are you the brave-the-crowds-for-a-bargain kind of gal? Or an early shopper, scoff-at-the-idea-of-Black-Friday type? Or maybe you really like to live on the edge and start all your shopping in mid-December??