Some of you may think it is too early to mention the dreaded C word but I am here to tell you it isn't too early at all....November is here which means there is less than one month until the festive month begins (because lets face it, the whole of December itself IS Christmas) I love it all and love putting the tree and decorations up while drinking hot chocolate and listening to Christmas songs, it makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside and reminds me of that magical feeling Christmas gave me as a child. I can't wait until our little bundle is old enough to understand Christmas and feel that magic. It will make it even more exciting! (albeit expensive!).

Of course, there is that part of Christmas that everyone dreads and which is what make most people grimace as soon as you even start to say the word and that is of course CHRISTMAS SHOPPING. I know, I know horrifying right?! I don't wanna be standing in a queue behind 40 miserable people in a rammed, sweaty shop anymore than anyone else despite my amazing love of this time of year so it is quite simple, I don't. I do it waaaay before everyone else even starts making their shopping lists, I get it done, I enjoy it and then I relax and enjoy the build up (aka the best bit).



 The great thing about the day and age we live in is that there are some great ways you can put money aside throughout the year for Christmas so you're not stressing come November time about the cost. We have in the past heard iffy stories about schemes going wrong though of course so if you are unsure maybe it is best to just put a set amount into a separate account that you can't get to throughout the year and just forget about it. Even if it is just £50. That is what I will start doing once baby is no longer a baby and has discovered the phrase 'I WANT'. 

Another wonderous thing about this modern world we live in is internet shopping and not having to face the high street madness should you not want to. However what we now do to ensure we are super organised and also to make sure everything is fair and not stressful is start asking people in October to write lists. I bug them and bug them (although most people already have an idea of stuff they need and want such as perfumes, bath stuff, even vouchers) then start jotting it all down. We have a spend limit on each relative which is exactly the same for each person so that it is fair and once that limit is reached then we know we can tick them off of the list. Last year we got everything done in one day, yes, ONE DAY and only had each other left to buy for and that was in November. We do go on holiday for a week in the middle of November so my plan is that when we are back from holiday we can go shopping and get it all done in one swoop before December kicks in.

It is so much nicer doing it that way. You can just enjoy the festivities and the countdown to Christmas and know you're sorted. The earlier you start planning / buying the more paydays you have to use towards it too!