12 Days of Christmas Blog Challenge - Days 1, 2, & 3!

I've been a slacker this week, so I'm catching up with Aly's fun 12 Days of Christmas challenge!!  You should definitely join in, if you haven't already!  :)

Day 1 - Christmas/Holiday Traditions

My family doesn't do anything too traditional/exciting for the holidays, and since Hubs and I are our own little family now, I'll just tell you what we do each year.  :)

On Christmas Eve, MIL always hosts.  It's usually just us and his 2 brothers, their wives, and their kids; and we ALL pack into his mom's little living room!  There's tons of presents everywhere, wrapping paper/bows scattered all over the room, and lots of talking/shouting/excitement that comes with opening up gifts.  It's a lot of fun!  After we open gifts, we eat and just relax and hang out for a few hours.  It's actually pretty laid back, and James and I usually get a few hours afterwards to either spend just the two of us, or we'll go see my grandparents/aunt/uncle/cousins on my dad's side of the family for a little bit. 

On Christmas day, Hubs and I usually get to spend all morning and early afternoon just the two of us...and Bailey, Roxy, and the Fozz, of course!  ;)  We'll open up our gifts, watch the Christmas parade, and just lounge and relax all morning.  It's really nice!  Around 4/5ish, we'll head over to my grandmother's house on my mom's side, and spend the night there eating and opening gifts.

The only tradition that Hubs and I have each year, is that we always put on Christmas music, turn the lights down, and open up a bottle of wine while we decorate the house/Christmas tree.  I LOVE it!  It's such a fun/romantical thing we get to do together.  Obviously, there won't be any wine for me this year...but, I'll probably pick up some sparkling cider or something like that and put it in my wine glass so it feels 'real' to me.  :P

And, another little thing I do, is have an ornament made each year with our names and the year on it.  There's a little stand in the mall that does customized ornaments, and they have TONS to choose from, so I always pick us out a different one each year and have it personalized.  I love them!  I'll have to take a picture of the ones I have from the past 5 years when we take down the Christmas decorations this weekend.  I'll add it on here later! 

Day 2 - Black Friday/Shopping Tips

Unfortunately, I don't have many tips to share.  I've never gone out on Black Friday, but, I have the feeling I'll be hitting up Toys 'R Us next year!  ;)  And, I'm also the world's worst procratinator when it comes to Christmas shopping.  I NEVER know what to get anyone, so I always wait until the last minute. 

So, as to not bore you too much with this one...here are some of my tips that I tend to go by when it comes to regular shopping.  :)

~  Bring a friend.  Shopping's always more fun when there's someone else who will spend $$ with you! 

~  Go either, really early/late or on a weeknight.  I hate going to the mall on the weekends (Yet somehow, that's when I usually end up there.  Go figure.  lol)  There's so many people, the parking lot is always a madhouse, and I just can't stand trying to make my way through the crazy crowds.

~  Have some kind of plan/shopping list before you get there.  I know for me, if I just walk into the mall not knowing what the heck I'm going there for, I'll walk out with nothing.  Or, I'll just end up buying myself a whole bunch of pretty things, and forget about everone else.  Oops!  ;)

~  Take advantage of sales/coupons!  Over the years, I've become a huge coupon fan.  I really don't buy anything anymore unless it's on sale or I have a coupon.  I mean, why would I spend $40 on a sweater, when I know in a week or so I'll be getting a coupon in the mail for $15 off of my $30 purchase, making that $40 sweater $25.  Sounds like a sweet deal to me! 

Day 3 - Most Meaningful/Best Gift I've Ever Received

I would have to say the two best gifts I've ever received have come from Hubs, of course.  The first one would be my birthstone ring that he bought me for my birthday (which is actually on Christmas Day) a few years ago.  It's my 'right-hand ring' and I wear it every single day.  I love it!

Sorry for the crappy picture.  And, please ignore my wrinkly grandma hands.  ;)

And, my other favorite gift is definitely my laptop that he bought for my birthday/Christmas last year.  I don't think a day has gone by in the last year that I haven't used my laptop!  I love being able to curl up in bed with it each night, or on weekend mornings, and catch up on emails, Facebook, blogs, and everything else!  It's one of my best gifts yet.  :)