We still take shopping or credit card recipe. For the rests, like tissue products, it is still a product of paper industry, so for me, it also still is long way to go to paperless limbo, but I’m working on it also. The main trouble is the fact that recycle paper are usually more expensive than usual ones, and that is not good for us who like to have more dollar inside our wallet.

No. Seriously. Think about it.

If you only give gifts that you want to give, to the people you want to give to, then you may very likely end up spending less and enjoying it more.

Now, think about timing. Our culture preaches that you should Get Ready For Christmas Early.

Why? Because it’s more convenient for stores, for one thing. And if you’re shipping things, shipping early gets it there “on time”, right?

I married a man who was born on December 22nd. He’s really tired of Christmas-themed birthday celebrations. And that’s when I remembered something I learned in my Episcopal Catechism class:

The Christmas Season lasts TWELVE DAYS.

Christmas is Dec 25th. It ENDS on January 5th, eve of the Feast of the Epiphany.

I no longer try to get “everything done” by December 24th. I don’t even START preparations until after hubby’s birthday. We visit parents and friends during those 12 days, taking the small gifts we’ve selected or made, and enjoy ourselves.

And yes, we DO enjoy Christmas….and since we avoid malls and stores and so on from November on, we aren’t sick and tired of Christmas before it even starts.