It's Christmas! Time to Freak Out!!!

Me when I check my email and see all of the deals

So did everybody finish their Christmas shopping on Black Friday/Cyber Monday while saving thousands??

If you didn't then, well, you probably ruined Christmas.

Just Kidding. 

Really, relax. 

I'll be posting a gift guide later, but I thought I'd share some of the internal pep talk I have with myself 6 or 7 times a day when I'm stressed out about the holidays. 

I love the holidays, but I find myself sometimes obsessing over the perfect present for someone, worrying we won't get to do EVERY fun thing that is possible to do between now and Christmas and then we will have missed out and thekidswillsuddenlybe16andaskingtogotoafriend'shousetoseewhatthey got from Santa. 

AND COMPARE.  

So here goes. 

It's all going to be ok. 

Really, there are very few ways you can ruin the holidays for anyone else if you're not actually trying to ruin the holidays.

Don't Be A Jerk.

If shopping for the perfect presents for everyone is your biggest stress, than really things are pretty good for you, right?  I know this. But sometimes I forget, and I let silly things overwhelm me until the tiny voice in the back of my head starts saying, "Oh girl, you want to see overwhelming? Don't be a jerk."

Just Give. 

I think we all understand the concept of giving to charities and those in need during the holidays.   I'm not talking about that.  Not that it's not incredibly important, I just know y'all know that and could probably teach me a thing or two (ooh post-idea).  No, I'm talking about my obsession with giving people the "perfect gift."

So here's what I say to myself when I realize, I might not have a lot to work with this year:

If you find the perfect present, awesome, it's the best feeling.  If you don't, no one will say anything anyway so you really won't ever know. Unless they're your wife or gay husband. Then they might say something. But thought goes a long way.

 *  Like when Kip got me Britney Spears tickets for my birthday, I cried. Not because of Britney (yes because of Britney), but because he heard me mention it months earlier.  He heard me. In his ears and his brain. I talk a lot so those two things don't always happen.)

This is how I thanked Kip for the sweetest gift ever. 

You have plenty of time. 

Read some gift guides, browse the aisles at Target or Niemans, whatever your budget, chances are you'll find something. If all else fails: OPRAH'S. FAVORITE. THINGS. 

Then when they open the present you say quickly, "It's one of Oprah's Favorite Things!" while nodding and looking around to make sure everybody heard you. Because most people will immediately support that. If it's clear they hate it (won't happen because OPRAH), but if they wrinkle their nose, then you know, you probably can't be friends anymore. 

Add wand to my Christmas list, mom.

(Oh you thought I was going to say you can blame it on Oprah.  I wouldn't dare.)

Hope that made you feel a little bit better and you're not mad at me for wasting precious doing-holiday-stuff time or giving you motion sickness. 

I'm determined to get my little gift-guide up in the next few hours! I promise!  I've also started a Christmas 2014 Gift Ideas Pinterest board that I will be adding to from here on out.  Be sure to check it out if you feel at a loss for ideas! 

Happy Holidays!