Nineteen more days

Hi neighbors. Nineteen, count'em, 19 more days till you can no longer shop. For 19 more days you can put off the trips to the malls, shops, stores and Internet shopping sites.

You can probably wait 19 more days to wrap gifts. If you don't exchange gifts until the afternoon, you can even stretch the window for the wrapping routine until Christmas Day. I wouldn't recommend that though.

Waiting until that very last day could lead to trouble. Unexpected company comes to visit and before you know it, there is no time left to wrap gifts. Besides, how are you going to explain why they weren't wrapped when Santa brought them?

It could get embarrassing and technically tricky.

If you want to enjoy Christmas day yourself, you should have all the gifts bought, made, wrapped and labeled before the alarm goes off that morning. Even if you have to stay up until almost time for the alarm to ring finishing those jobs.

Do you make gifts? Occasionally I've tried that. I'm not one of those "handy" people though and my gift making can be frustrating for me and disappointing for the recipient.

I have seen people make beautifully knitted or crocheted sweaters, hats and even gloves. I had an aunt who could crochet beautiful tablecloths and bedspreads.

My son wanted me to make him an afghan once. It took most of the summer and fall for me to do it and it turned out to be seven feet long and six feet wide. He wanted it that big.

My "skills" in handiwork are limited to that afghan and the occasional knitted houseslippers. I learned how to make those in high school many decades ago and I haven't learned a new stitch since.

A few of my friends can make and design useful and cute items from odds and ends of things. Helen Wilkison, who works at the cable TV place here in Nevada, makes cute snowmen out of recycled glass. She even makes outfits for them to look like KC Chiefs and other characters.

Other friends make dolls, doll clothing, quilts, cute "welcome" signs, or they paint with oil or pastels. Some make candles, packages of herbed oils, dried flower arrangements, live flower arrangements.

Just so many nice people make creative gifts!

Some don't make use of their talents though. Just think how much parents or grandparents would appreciate a video of their child or grandchild playing in the school band.

If grandparents live away, trust me, they would love videos of any of the grandchildren's activities that they don't get to see. Particularly awards they win or athletic, dance, or drama events they participate in that the grandparents can't travel to see.

Mostly people want things that make them feel like part of the family.

Photo albums about selected events or time periods are great gifts.

There's only one major problem with all these personal, handmade gifts. They take time and thought. That's what makes them so special after all and that's also what makes them such rare gifts.

I think I'll stick to buying gifts.

As one of the more successful procrastinators on the planet, I haven't even given thought to what gifts I'll give this year, much less got them picked up or wrapped.

"Back in the day" (don't you love that phrase?) I had Christmas down pat.

The gifts were decided on before Halloween and ordered or in layaway before Thanksgiving. That's when I thought I knew what people wanted.

Now I ask for a list from everyone. I've found I'm totally out of touch with what younger people want for Christmas.

Many of the toys they want have names I can't pronouce anyway. I know I probably couldn't remember them while elbow to elbow with hordes of other shoppers at packed stores.

So I ask for a list of at least five choices.

That takes some of the stress off my gray cells and at least the recipients know they will get what they want, although the surprise element may be limited.

Once the main gift is taken care of, that's when the fun starts selecting stocking stuffers.

Of course there are certain staples of stocking gifts. For children, new boxes of crayons or colored markers are a must. Bigger girls need new Barbie clothes.

Bigger boys need new Hot Wheels collectibles.

Until the next time friends remember; it isn't the gift that counts, it's the giving of the gift -- and the precision of the timing involved in getting the right gift selected, wrapped and presented -- that does.

Happy shopping!