Do Americans work this coming week?

You're my new hero! Gawd I wish we weren't socially pressured into buying Christmas gifts. For me I'm so poor right now that spending any amount hurts. Then worse, I know whatever I buy, the person won't need and won't use. And yet I have to buy something for all family members or I'll be the Grinch. It's like this silly wheel we can't get off.

Gift Hero has removed the awkwardness of the gift-giving experience for our friends and family. It's essentially a sharable wish list so that if anyone wants to exchange gifts, everyone gets something they actually want. Once someone buys something from your list, you won't see if they've bought it, but all your connections will, so it removes the awkwardness of getting two of the same thing as well.

My family just does a Yankee swap on Christmas eve (usually sort of joke gifts), and we only buy gifts for the kids.

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It's been fine here for me today.

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Why can’t you do the Secret Santa thing so that each person receives an anonymous gift and everyone has only to buy one present?

Personally, the only gifts I want are money or gift cards. Or both.

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I’m here only on Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays. That’s why I’m here now.

Well, to be fair, the deer population needs to be culled so they distribute the number of hunting tags based on how many deer they need to trim the numbers down to. This not only provides food for lots of families (including mine when I was growing up, and now hunters can donate their deer meat to various charities and shelters if they don't wish to keep it), but it keeps the remaining deer healthier and prevents starvation from too many deer in one area.

I guess. As a vegetarian it makes me sad. That’s just me.

Here you go. All you need to know about Pennsylvania hunting seasons and bag limits.

https://www.pgc.pa.gov/HuntTrap/Law/...BagLimits.aspx

Actually, I don't hunt.

I was just looking for an excuse to post a song by the Royal Guardsmen!

For years I tried to sell my family on the idea that everyone buys something for themselves (at any time during the year to avoid the holiday stress), wrap it and then open it on Christmas Eve or Day. That way there's no rush, no worrying about getting the wrong thing or returns, and everyone gets exactly what they want. Of course, there's no surprise, but the surprise aspect lies in seeing what others bought for themselves.

No one went for it.

Luckily (or sadly) I have few relatives left that I exchange with. I have two nieces with families that I send money to, but am lucky to get one of those pre-printed photo cards at Christmas with no personal message in it (if any acknowledgment at all).

i just assume it's a four or five day weekend. that's what it looks like from the outside.

I get today and tomorrow off.

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I work from home as a freelancer so I can make my own schedule and gave myself this week off. Then again, I'm doing all the food purchasing, prep, cooking, baking, and cleanup, along with cleaning the house, and also prepping for four of hubby's relatives staying here Thursday through Sunday for a memorial gathering for my mother-in-law who passed away last month... so that's more food prep and cleanup too since the memorial is also here at our house...

Whew. I'm exhausted already. I think I'd rather being doing freelance work. It's a lot easier!

Is there nobody who can help you? The overnight guests would finish me off.

We have ample room in our large house. I promised God that I (despite my introverted nature) would use this house for hospitality (within reason) when I can. It's hubby's family, and at least it ended up being three nights instead of the week-or-more I had originally envisioned.

But yeah, nothing against the family members, but I'll be crashing hard come Sunday when everything is over.

Today's (early) Thanksgiving with nearly all of our kiddos here was a long but wonderful day. Got to talk to each of them as they arrived, ate, and eventually headed home. Food was good and both the prep and the cleanup went surprisingly smoothly. It's been a good day.

We have a Victorian house with plenty of room. But nobody can stay overnight. Been there done that.

Back to work, America

That's Christmas in my family. You only buy gifts for the kids and once they turn 18 the ride is over. About ten years ago we started doing the White Elephant gift for the adults. One gift between $30 - $50. Perfect.

Christmas shopping in stores is my Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey Hell.

White elephant gift?