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One-Stop Christmas Shopping

A few years ago, I figured out the secret to Christmas shopping--

Theme Gifting.

Here's what happened:

I was at the mall looking for a present for my mom, and I came across three beautiful music boxes.  I couldn't figure out which one she'd like more, and I was panicking because I still had to buy gifts for my aunt and grandmother before the stores started to close.

Then I realized that the other music boxes would be the perfect gifts.

The friend I was with wasn't so sure.

"Doesn't it seem a little tacky to give three similar presents to three different people?"

I was a little worried as well.

Would it look like I was just being lazy by doing all my shopping in one store?

Luckily, my relatives loved the similarly-themed gifts.

"Usually I'm the one who likes the gift somebody else got," my Mom said, "So this is a perfect idea."

My aunt thought it was nice that the gifts connected the three of them.  My grandmother jokingly asked if we were allowed to swap.

(Hey, you can't please everybody.)

Now, my themed shopping has not only made life much easier, but it's fun to find ways to adhere to the theme while making each person's gift feel specific to them.

Last year's theme was relaxation.

Everybody I bought presents for got bathrobes or pajamas, a scented candle, lotion, and a CD with relaxing music.

At times I felt a little bit like Oprah--"You get a bathrobe!  You get a candle!"

It's simple, fun, and so much better than running to twenty different stores.

Just a thought.

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