It's that time of the year

I can't believe it is December already. I love this time of year. What can I say? I am a sap. I have always associated this time of year with fond memories.

As I mentioned previously, our holiday season started with Black Friday shopping. As the oldest, I helped my mom with the rest of the decorating, shopping, and gift wrapping. I loved the bonding time. My mom has always been a career woman. This made one-on-one time with her very limited. The holidays afforded me time with my mom. It's one of the things that I miss now that I live so far from her.

Another aspect of the holidays that I love is gift-giving. I love getting gifts, but I love giving them even more. I enjoy finding little gems for the people on my list and their reactions when they open the gifts. For a short time, the shopping frenzy that takes place here in L.A. ruined my gift-giving delight. You haven't seen anything until you try shopping out here. The pushing, the shoving, the rudeness are unprecedented.

Thankfully, I have found a workaround. I now buy gifts online. This year I am being extra sporting, I am striving to buy mostly handmade gifts. No macramé or bead bracelets. I would post photos of my finds, but it will have to wait until after the holidays. It'll be good I promise. Until then, here's an article about buying handmade gifts.