Egypt4u

Now that all the ghosties and goblins have had their day end October and since Guy Fawkes was essentially celebrated here last night with fireworks happening for half and hour all our stores are going to BURST soon with Christmas decorations. Our local newspaper is now getting heavier with advertisements and the local Toy Store had their insert in it touting all the latest and greatest toys for Christmas.

I'm basically already DONE essential Christmas shopping and wrapped all 3 days ago. Now I'm just picking up little tidbits as I go which I do find kinda fun.

Anybody else ready and set to go for Christmas? Do you have a shopping strategy? Something special you're looking for this year?

Bah! Humbug!

I haven't had Christmas present lists from anyone yet.

Grandad wrote:Bah! Humbug!

Ditto

I've always tended to pick up stuff as I go through the year and I definitely like buying for the Grandkids as they're easy. I haven't really bought much for an adult for years and THAT would be stressful having to come up with something for somebody particularly if it was a last minute compulsory purchase.

I often make the Christmas presents I give. They're usually small gifts so no issue with tossing it if it isn't what you like i.e. crochet'd coasters for everybody last year. I truly don't even try for the "perfect" gift that is a "must have" that'll last through the ages.

I'm about half way through with my Christmas shopping, but, what do you get to folks that already have everything

My problem exactly, Kiya!

People who have everything run themselves the risk of getting something "I" have made them!! Hence they need to tell me well in advance exactly what they want however I also don't really want to know exactly what you want complete with all sorts of specifics IF this whatever is difficult to find (I'm not that much of a shopper that I'm going to go to extreme lengths).

We got super organised this year as we won't be seeing our family until next April (apart from on Skype) so as we took the car to the UK in September we bought their Xmas presents in France & wrapped and took them over then!

@Fablux - can you actually cross from France INTO the UK with wrapped presents? You sure are not crossing from Canada into the USA with wrapped prezzies or vice versa. I mean you could IF the Guard didn't notice but if you've got everything wrapped you do run the risk of having to unwrap so they can inspect.

LLL, the majority of our luggage can and often is X-rayed at customs and commonly swabbed for explosives, so its all down to customs being suspicious and wanting to investigate further and if that were the case they would unwrap whatever they wanted.

As we are still in the EU at the moment they only stopped the car at the UK ferry port to glance at the passports which was more than they did when we went back to France. As we have French plates on the car they waved us through without even looking at the passports

A bit different from flying between the 2 countries where security is still tight & I wouldn't have tried to take a wrapped parcel through the airport.

When I fly everything is x-rayed (I'd assume) but when I drive back and forth between here and the States everything is just packed into the trunk. Usually I'm waved through but occasionally I seem to get into a line where they want me to open the trunk and have a look see. I keep all receipts and an accounting of what everything is so I can pass it over but they don't typically x-ray at this Border when you're driving.

I know they x-ray on leaving Mexico as I was bringing back some ceramic skulls that got my bags opened and looked at but it was obvious they were just decorative so was waved on through.

As a bit of trivia - when I was in Trinidad and if I wanted to mail anything you had to take whatever you were going to mail, show the Post Office person and then wrap it in front of them + fill out the forms then post it. Meant always having to take paper, tape and scissors etc to the post office when you went.