The holiday season is here again. How did this year fly by so quickly? Personally, I’ve decided they go by faster every year.

At our house, we have a tradition we’ve enjoyed for many years. We call it Family Shopping Day. For as long as I can remember, we’ve taken our children out for a marathon day of shopping for each other and the sheer joy of just being together. We usually pair off with each of the children, helping and directing them as they spend their hard-earned money on those they love and appreciate.

Our shopping days of years gone by have consisted of the five of us getting up early, going to a favorite mall, breaking up into groups of two and three, and communicating on our whereabouts with our walkie talkies. Since we homeschool, we would always pick a day during the week before kids got out of the school system on Christmas break. I mean, I’m okay with crowds, but I’m not into mobs!

As our family has grown from three children to five, and the oldest three now being married with children, we’ve changed the way Family Shopping Day looks. It no longer involves all the family members going shopping at the same time. Instead, we now have what we fondly refer to as Girls’ Shopping Day. This consists of the girls taking off for the day, going somewhere we all agree upon, and shopping ’till we drop. Our family group now consists of my mom, my married daughter, my daughter-in-law, my daughter-in-law’s mom, who just happens to be one of my best friends, my youngest daughter who is now 13, and me.

We usually load up in one of our cars, bring along our portable shopping carts for the day (which are fabulous because you don’t have to carry packages with handles that make your fingers go numb), and head for a wonderful mall or outlet stores.

Now we use our cellphones to talk to each other as we pair off and find special treasures for those we love.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a perfect day without some time for enjoying lunch together. And because we usually stay gone for an entire day, there’s also time for dinner together, too.

Now, I must tell you that this year was different from all the rest. I’ll spare you all the details of how we decided to do what we did, but this year was unique. Instead of going out to the shopping malls, we  girls decided to bring our computers over to the big house (that’s what the family calls our log home), shop on the Internet while we watched Christmas movies. Special treats were purchased the night before at the grocery store so we would have everything we would need.

So, from early in the morning until dinner time, we sat in the family room, situated in a semi circle as we watched White Christmas, Christmas Child, Single Santa Seeks Mrs. Claus, and Santa Clause 3: The Escape Claus. I would have liked to have seen It’s a Wonderful Life and Miracle on 34th Street, but they are packed away in storage (a story for another post).

In some ways it was great. While it lacked the craziness of getting out in the crowds, it did have its perks. If I needed to know what my son desired for Christmas, all I had to do was ask his wife who was sitting on the couch next to me. If I needed to know someone’s size, I just asked the girl who knew. If I wanted to know about any online shopping coupons, the shopping gurus of my family were there to assist me.

There are times when shopping online can be a challenge, but all-in-all, it was a very productive day for me. I finished most of my shopping, I got to watch some fun movies in the comfort of my own home, the food was great, and the fellowshipping with the girls was the best. Plus, I didn’t experience any holiday stress either!

I don’t know what we will choose to do next year, but I’m pretty open to whatever works, because over the years, I’ve certainly learned how to be flexible.

Don’t forget the added benefits of staying in your pajamas all day, taking a break for a nap if you so choose, and no sore feet at the end of the day!

Recommended Reading

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• Refocus on Family
• Holiday Hindsight