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How’s the Holiday Prep-Work Going? Are You Finished, or Flailing?

December 14, 2013 By Jeff 49 Comments

Christmas-Tree_300Yeah, I don’t like my new work situation. I hate to sound like a delicate flower pussling-child, but it’s kicking my ass. And it’s hard to understand why. I’ve been working 50 or 60 hours every week, forever. But now that I’m working a set schedule of 50 hours, I’m struggling.

The non-stop stress doesn’t help. Good god. Every day feels like the opening scene of Saving Private Ryan, expanded out to 11 hours, or so. The shit is taxing.

Oh well. It’ll all be over once my heart seizes up, which could be any day now.

Are you guys ready for Christmas? As usual, that question means very little to me. I have no role in it, except to show up, drink, and make “hilarious” comments.

Usually Toney and I don’t exchange gifts, ’cause money is tight and we put everything toward the boys. But this year I think we’re going to go wild and actually buy a couple of items for ourselves. I need a new iPod (my current one is dying, and won’t hold a charge for more than an hour), and Toney wants a Kindle Fire. You can’t imagine how extravagant a move this is on our part. It’s simply unheard of.

I think we’ve got everything for the younglings, at least ordered and on the way. I have to go to Philly to pick up a set of cool-ass 70s stereo speakers, from Dr. Buford. He buys them at yard sales and places, cleans them up, and rewires ’em. I have one set he did, and they’re fantastic. The old speakers sound great. Drop me a line, and I’ll put you in contact with Buford, if you’re interested in buying a set from him. Highly recommended!

Steve and I have been exchanging gifts since we were kids. It seems kinda strange, when I stop and think about it. Two boys, giving each other Christmas gifts? What the?? In any case, it’s a tradition that pre-dates the automobile, so it’s gonna continue. And his is the only gift left to buy, as far as I know.

How are you doing this year, with the holiday prep work? We basically buy for our kids and don’t have visitors anymore, since Toney’s family finally succumbed to dysfunction. So, it’s fairly stripped-down for us, and Toney does 95% of it, anyway.

But what about you? Bring us up to date on it, in the comments section below.

And since we’re on the subject… please remember to use our Amazon links while doing your holiday (or personal!) shopping. Yesterday was a great day on the Amazon front, so let’s keep it going. Just enter their site through any of our links, like this one, and I’ll receive a small percentage of whatever you spend. It’s easy, free to you, and extremely helpful. I basically pay the year’s website bills off the December Amazon earnings. Thank you guys!

It’s snowy and gray here today, but we have a case of Yuengling in the basement fridge, a six-pack of Sierra Nevada Celebration in the kitchen fridge, and a bottle of Jim Beam in the liquor cabinet. You know… to ward off seasonal depression.

I’ll see you guys again soon. Hopefully I’ll adjust to this new schedule, and won’t be gone so often.

Have a great day, my friends!

Now playing in the bunker
Do your holiday shopping at Amazon!
Here’s the link for our Canadian friends

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Filed Under: Daily

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. madz1962 says

    December 14, 2013 at 4:56 pm

    Me?

    Reply
  2. Jason says

    December 14, 2013 at 4:57 pm

    It’s nearly Christmas? HOLY SHIT!!!!

    Reply
  3. madz1962 says

    December 14, 2013 at 5:00 pm

    I ordered and got 3rd row orchestra seats for Bill Maher for Beloved. Not my favorite but he’ll like It

    Reply
  4. Phil Jett says

    December 14, 2013 at 5:09 pm

    I just started back to work after two weeks off. I got all my shopping and other prep (lights, trees, etc) done. Working straight through until January 3rd when I finally get three days off. Lots of holiday pay is all I have to look forward to this year. Work 12 hour nights on Christmas Eve and again Christmas Day.

    Bought about 95% of my crap through Amazon using the link. Love having Amazon prime. I also have a friend from high school who I exchange gifts with every year. 37 years in a row and counting.

    Reply
  5. Jason says

    December 14, 2013 at 5:12 pm

    I’m going to fein a major illness on the 23rd of December and hopefully get hospitalized over Christmas so I get out of giving people presents.

    Reply
    • hot fuzz says

      December 17, 2013 at 9:46 am

      Make it something dick or ass related so at least you’ll have some funny stories about the testing.

      Reply
  6. chill says

    December 14, 2013 at 5:27 pm

    I haven’t done shit. I will probably make some biscotti or something for the parents, but not much more than that.
    .

    Reply
  7. ron says

    December 14, 2013 at 5:35 pm

    The year I gave live rabbits to everyone that gave me a gift has stopped everyone from buying gifts for me.
    It is amazing how fast a bunny can get regifted when they are told that it was the most popular bunny in the cage.
    I no longer have to shop for or recieve gifts from friends, coworkers, and neighbors
    A win win situatiion for me

    Reply
    • Buzz in Wheeling says

      December 16, 2013 at 3:39 pm

      Brilliant. Would spiders work, do you think?

      Reply
  8. WB in OH says

    December 14, 2013 at 5:57 pm

    I think I’m done with the shopping. No Christmas lights to worry about as I’m quasi-homeless. Not that I ever put any up before. Final Christmas purchases were some as seen on TV crappie for the fambly gift exchange, in case you wondered what weirdo still bought that crap. What a disaster, 14 ultimate meatloaf pans getting traded back forth. Pass the beer nuts.

    Reply
  9. Joe T says

    December 14, 2013 at 6:01 pm

    I hope you and Steve get something nice for each other.

    Reply
    • Jeff says

      December 14, 2013 at 6:26 pm

      LOL.

      Reply
      • Bill in WV says

        December 16, 2013 at 1:10 pm

        That one made me LOL too.

        Reply
  10. tiff says

    December 14, 2013 at 6:03 pm

    I have one more catalog to order from, then a ‘live buy,’ then DIYIng for the extended family. Still don’t have a tree. December came too fast.

    Reply
  11. hardoxdan says

    December 14, 2013 at 8:06 pm

    Outside and inside lights, tree, all done. Bought the kid a new computer. Wife bought the kid a pile of gift cards and clothes.

    Wife wanted a $500 gift certificate to the spa where she gets nails and facials, on sale for $400, Christmas special deal. Done

    Wife ordered me a Frigidaire Professional convection/toaster oven (I am the cook). UPS delivered it the other day and the box is marked with the contents, so it blew the surprise, so she is pissed.

    Otherwise, all good to go. Just need to pick up a few things for my parents.

    Reply
    • hot fuzz says

      December 17, 2013 at 9:34 am

      She pays to get a facial? Wait, we’re probably not talking about the same thing here…

      Reply
  12. Average Jane says

    December 14, 2013 at 8:51 pm

    I finished all my Christmas shopping just in time to be notified that I’m getting laid off from my job. So that’s either good or bad, depending on what happens next. I am having people over for a cookie exchange party tomorrow and I have yet to put up a single piece of holiday decor (or bake cookies, for that matter). Guess I’d probably better get on that.

    Reply
    • johnthebasket says

      December 15, 2013 at 4:25 am

      AJ…

      There’s no good time to get laid off, but this is a particularly crappy time. Your employer is a bag of dicks with a birdshit drizzle. Hope everything works out well and that you get a better job soon.

      Good luck and best wishes…

      John

      Reply
      • Average Jane says

        December 16, 2013 at 3:48 pm

        Thanks! The recruiters are saying encouraging things, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

        Reply
    • madz1962 says

      December 15, 2013 at 8:42 am

      Oh shut, AJ. Your next job will hopefully be what you want with more pay.

      Reply
      • Average Jane says

        December 16, 2013 at 3:49 pm

        Here’s hoping!

        Reply
    • Stephanie says

      December 15, 2013 at 6:44 pm

      I lost my job recently as well. I have not decorated (yet) and just started buying gifts for the kids (four girls, ages 13 to 20) on Friday. My husband and I do not exchange gifts but his 50th birthday is on December 27th. Since I had already sent out all the invitations, there is no canceling (big party). Paying for gifts and the party on my unemployment $ will be a budget-conscious venture. Hopefully we will make our rent in January and I am hoping to get a job SOON since unemployment “pay” sucks.
      Good luck to you, Average Jane and Merry Christmas, all!

      Reply
      • johnthebasket says

        December 15, 2013 at 10:23 pm

        Stephanie…

        Sorry to hear about the job loss. From your comments over time here, it’s obvious you are a creative, talented person. Hope you soon find an employer who values those things. Best of luck and Merry Christmas (and congrats to the lucky groom).

        John

        Reply
        • Stephanie C says

          December 16, 2013 at 2:14 pm

          Thank you, jtb…I hope there is a Missus jtb because you are a wonderful person with many gifts to share as well! Merry Christmas to you, also!

          Reply
          • hot fuzz says

            December 17, 2013 at 9:37 am

            I agree with my friend from the wet west – you’re far too intelligent; creative; caring and interesting to go for too long without a job. Keep smiling until it comes naturally again.

            Reply
      • Average Jane says

        December 16, 2013 at 3:49 pm

        Thanks! Back atcha!

        Reply
    • hot fuzz says

      December 17, 2013 at 9:42 am

      Trust that you’ll be able to look back at this and laugh one day. I’ve been let go from several jobs over the years but never at Christmas. I WAS let go 2 weeks before we took ownership of a new house (double the size means double the mortgage go figure) and as scary as it was, when you make it through you realize how creative and resiliant you are. Hang tough and keep going. Ask your cookie exchange friends to help you decorate! They’re just going to sit and talk, ask them to stand and hang stuff while they’re talking… they’ll love it. Take care, AJ.

      Reply
  13. Alex says

    December 15, 2013 at 9:10 am

    My christmas prep consists of making sure I don’t need to go to the store for anything other than milk. I lifted the bag off the mini christmas tree, which I bought years ago as a joke, but it has turned into the only christmas decor around the house. We got rid of the big ass tree years ago. Slip the bag over the mini tree and put it back on the shelf when all is done. The only thing easier is when I forget to take it off the shelf.
    —
    Local Kellogs plant got news this past week they are shutting the doors in 2014. Yeah, nice timing for those folks.
    Fiscal years and whatever other book keeping nonsense, that kind of announcement can’t wait until everybody is back to the grind? Its not like you can proactively go job hunting during the holidays since pretty well everything is closed or down to minimal staffing.

    Reply
    • hot fuzz says

      December 17, 2013 at 9:50 am

      HI Alex… what it might do though is give folks a heads up that tough times are coming so maybe scale back any generous gifts… I don’t know… just a thought… Maybe I’m using the line of thinking that “corporations are people” but that probably only applies in the US.

      Reply
  14. squawvalleyskip says

    December 15, 2013 at 9:43 am

    Mrs. SVS and I don’t get each other anything, haven’t for years. We finally figured out that if there was anything either of us really wanted we’d already own it, so why go out and buy each other something we obviously haven’t given a second thought to. She sent her daughter and son-in-law something from both of us, and stuck a grand in their new son’s (Dec 3) college fund. My daughter and SIL and the granddaughters haven’t told us what they want, and my rule is “tell me what you want, and preferably where to get it, or I won’t”. I did loan the SIL 10 grand last week to cover some expenses for his little construction company when he got screwed by a combination of bad weather and incompetent engineering. But I can’t count that as Christmas, since he’ll be paying it back once the draws resume. And since I’ve not been a fan of the whole Christmas thing for as long as I can remember, even back into childhood, that will do it for us. We’ll both be working (probably) on Christmas day. She, because she volunteers so nurses with young kids can have the day off, me because of the holiday pay.

    Reply
  15. Ed says

    December 15, 2013 at 9:59 am

    You’re not kidding about the speakers. I recently brought my good old (heavy) speakers and stereo down from the attic, and hooked it all up to see if they sounded as good as I remembered. The sound isn’t necessarily louder, but the entire room is filled with an atmosphere of sound, as opposed to the modern crappy plastic encased little lightweight tweeters and sub-woofers that we have been using.

    But, being told that there is no room for all that stuff (there isn’t) I lugged it all back up to the attic. No room for quality!

    Modern TVs are great though.

    Reply
  16. Westersteve says

    December 15, 2013 at 12:33 pm

    Since the children are grown and the wife is successfuiiy medicated, I no longer decorate for Christmas. At one time I had multiple trees (5) a village, and enough garland to coral a herd. Now I have zero desire to decorate or join in seasonal festivities. Just give me a nice bottle of rum or whiskey and leave me alone.

    Reply
  17. renn says

    December 15, 2013 at 5:05 pm

    Chachi announced that he’d rather not exchange gifts this year, which is fine with me. I’ve been advocating that for years.

    We had to agree to give ‘stocking gifts’ to each other so that our teenage daughter – Princess Merry Christmas – didn’t have a meltdown. This child loves everything from singing carols to lighting the tree – to baking holiday treats.

    Thankfully, she also loves our tradition of Christmas Pizza and a Monty Python Marathon. I have to wrap HER gifts, then we’re done. [Except for the BAKING. We’ll have a baking MARATHON this week, as long as I’m excused from Jury Duty. I’ll know in about an hour…]

    Reply
    • hot fuzz says

      December 17, 2013 at 9:53 am

      We had a Dexter marathon last year. This year it’s either the first two seasons of OZ or Gilmore Girls. If I want the boy (23) to not cause a vacuum as he bolts through the front door, I guess OZ it is. Good family fare.

      Reply
  18. aminnev says

    December 16, 2013 at 12:49 am

    Very minimal decorating this year. Getting the homestead ready for sale so we want the place to not look so cluttered. Not the best time to be selling but the husband has already moved on for the job. So, sometime next year I’ll go from being ‘aminnev’ to aminor’. Nice ring to it.

    Reply
  19. Billy Joel says

    December 16, 2013 at 11:09 am

    I still need to bake a birthday cake for Jesus’ birthday, but I’ll get that done next weekend.

    Reply
    • Bill in WV says

      December 16, 2013 at 1:11 pm

      LOL

      Reply
    • Buzz in Wheeling says

      December 16, 2013 at 3:43 pm

      Bake a fruitcake, why don’t you. Then there will be exactly 2 in the known universe.

      Reply
    • madz1962 says

      December 17, 2013 at 8:35 am

      Hey Billy Joel – I nabbed 2 tickets for your August show at Madison Square Garden. Beloved is going to have one hell of a Christmas!

      Reply
  20. Doug says

    December 16, 2013 at 12:43 pm

    Tree is up and decorated, no gay pink outdoor lights going up this year. Got all of my daughter’s presents wrapped and ready. Presents for other folks are on their way and my daughter will handle wrapping those, hopefully shipping some of them as well. Always feel better once everything is done.

    Now all that’s left for me is to drive 16 hours each way to visit with family. My sister on the other hand, gets to host us all, which makes her holiday non-stop work until she can shove us all out the door.

    Reply
    • Billy Joel says

      December 16, 2013 at 1:54 pm

      There’s nothing gay about pink outdoor lights. They are for breast cancer awareness. On second thought, they are also gay.

      Reply
      • hot fuzz says

        December 17, 2013 at 9:56 am

        Men can get breast cancer. Talk about gay!!!

        Reply
        • Billy Joel says

          December 17, 2013 at 2:30 pm

          Yup; Peter Criss had it. Apparently men are especially susceptible if their melatonin gets all out of whack. Talk about gay!!!!

          Reply
  21. icecycle66 says

    December 16, 2013 at 3:56 pm

    Spiral sliced ham is bullshit. I could go on for days, but the gist of it is how the hell am I supposed to pull chunks of salty pork flesh off the bone with my bare fingers and cram it in my slobbering maw with the palm of my hand if everything is half-ass sliced into paper thin Necco Wafers of pig meat.

    Reply
    • hot fuzz says

      December 17, 2013 at 10:13 am

      Sprial sliced ham in a convection oven and the ham turns to baconish crispy goodness – ham AND bacon. Magic!

      Reply
  22. Buzz in Wheeling says

    December 16, 2013 at 4:14 pm

    My spouse & I don’t exchange anymore either, to our mutual great relief. Gift cards to the grandkids, who live away, the ceramic Christmas tree with the plastic lights and a simple wreath on the front door. (Never did believe in turning the outside of the house into a pinball machine.

    Among the more pleasant aspects of the holiday: dinner at my brother’s business partner, the holiday Scotch (The Famous Grouse), and all my favorite holiday music. Examples are the Spike Jones Christmas and the Bob Rivers Twisted Christmas series. (Sample song: Chipmunks Roasting On An Open Fire). And the fave movie, of course, Bad Santa.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrO42SnYAvs

    Reply
  23. bikerchick says

    December 17, 2013 at 10:03 am

    We have our Christmas Eve open house in a week. Meanwhile, the new wood floor in the livingroom is 3/4 of the way done. I am finishing up painting the walls today. The big ass entertainment center and HUGE floor model TV is going to the basement to make room for a wall mount, credit card thin, new LED BAT. New light fixtures need to be installed. Clean saw dust off of everything. Then once all that is done I can focus in the party. Decorate, cook, bake….yep, nothing like waiting till the last minute! Wouldn’t be the holiday’s without the stess.

    Reply
  24. hot fuzz says

    December 17, 2013 at 10:33 am

    This year the tree location is in the curve of the stairwell so we got a 10′ tree for $5 more… We didn’t hunt it down and kill it ourselves; we bought it pre-slaughtered.

    And since they were on sale we bought some new lights – 5 strings of 150 lights each so the inside of the house looks like the outside of the Griswalds… now what to do with all the old lights… box after box of string after string of each years latest and greatest lighting innovation. Next year I’m sure they’ll be in to wireless lights.

    Since She who must be feared and obeyed’s mother doesn’t like her grandkids, she won’t be around at Chrstmas and since I threw SWMBF&O’s evil twin sister out she won’t be here so it’s just what’s left on my side who may or may NOT show up for Christmas – surprise!!!!

    On line shopping has been great – the iittle shopping in store I do at this time of year is just below the level where I would make it as the lead story on the evening news. I’m not a “crowd” person.

    Reply
  25. matt K says

    December 18, 2013 at 10:07 am

    hey Jeff, I was watching that moonshiners show on discovery…if you’re unfamiliar with it, it basically follows a few guys who brew illegal moonshine in the mountains of West Virginia.

    i have one question…..is that accurate?? the stupidity, raging redneck-speak and general hick-ness….from your time in WV, is that something you had to overcome? was it a daily thing? I just can’t believe that the people there are that white trash.

    Reply

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