Merry Christmas

Yes, it is July and probably 110 degrees outside for most of you. But Christmas is RIGHT around the corner and will be here before ya know it.

So I thought i'd pass along a time and maybe even money saving tip for shopping for friends and family this year. You might already know about this, but just in case you don't, this is the perfect time!

About a month or so before Christmas, my family would always email everyone their wish list with what they wanted. But then we were always sending additional emails giving more info, adding links, and adding things to the list. And then we all had to coordinate with each other to figure out who was buying what and so forth.

Then I got married.

To Daniel.

And his family had a WONDERFUL system already in place that made things much easier and in general, just more fun! Each person has an Amazon Wish List. You can set up one or several wish lists if you want to categorize your potential gifts. Right now I have a Christmas/Birthday list and a Package List. Some people will have a list for Christmas, a book list, a list for their children, clothes, movies, you get the idea. And you can totally put everything on one list if you want. I do for the most part.

Also, you can install a Wish List 'widget' so if you're browsing say the GAP and see a cute skirt you want, just click the Amazon widget (after installing) and it automatically goes to your saved Wish List. I love that you can add things from the Amazon website or from practically any website known to man. You can add info such as colors, sizing, amount, or any details you think your gift buyer would want to know.

Here's the best part.....you can also rank your desired items by priority. So grandma knows that you REALLLY want the purple scarf more than a new calendar. You get the idea. Then when someone buys something for you, they can mark it so you don't end up with 4 pairs of shoes.

I know this is random, but just in case Christmas shopping stresses you out, i hope this will help. I loved not having to scour the malls and fight over a parking space this last year. And since we're going to be MIA this year for the holidays, it doesn't mean we can't show a little love to the fam from across the ocean.

love

Laura