This month is pretty quiet for us. We sit out most the Christmas Crazy.

We do have other things going on. Dh and BM saw the Mythbusters live last week. The tickets went on sale many months ago and the price was totally insane. We compromised that just dh and BM would go.

& of course they are going to one of the first showings of Star Wars. My dh really lucked out. I recall him joining a group to hold a place in line to buy tickets, back when we were in college. (The members of the group took turns waiting in line for days or weeks. Probably for Episode I). This time, he was impatient and just noticed the website was selling tickets early. (Since he kept checking before they were to be on sale. I mean like this might have been an hour early). Shortly after they were to go on sale the website crashed. So he did end up getting one of the first tickets. No huge lines necessary. & I am glad I didn't have to hear about all the frustration if he waited longer and couldn't get tickets.

He is planning to wait in line at the theater a few hours to ensure decent seats. IT helps to live in less of a nerd city. He isn't expecting the same kind of lines that there usually are in the Bay Area.

**Christmas shopping is done.

For work exchange, I drew the "new girl" for the second year in a row. So EASY though because she just got married. I ordered a personalized ornament and I also stocked up on Starbucks gift cards (one for her, and then will have some laying around for whatever).

Dh told me he didn't expect any Holiday doings with his job.

**I am noting the kids' gifts here for future reference. This is where we ended up.

--Show tickets (panel for one of their favorite TV shows)

--Shared extension pack for a favorite board game

--One practical gift/each (mostly because they both needed something)

--Stocking stuffers: junk food and mad libs, presented in re-usable laundry bags that I got for $3/each on Etsy. Which I suppose is another practical gift.

**I ended up ordering a "Grandma necklace" for my mom. I've been coveting a mom necklace for myself when I stumbled upon this one. Decided to get one for my mom instead.

There was also a gift I wanted to get my mom that Amazon wouldn't let me ship to the my address. I tried a couple of different times and wasn't sure why I couldn't order it. Anyway, in the end I received this gift for my birthday! So I am re-gifting to my mom for her birthday.

Oh, and I am going to pick up some flowers for my mom. They've been having great small-ish bouquets at our grocery store for $4. If I remember to pick up a few days before Christmas I will do well. These flowers are so fresh and they last several weeks. For the long run, may make a bit of a tradition of this so it's less focus on the material. (I just think the Grandma necklace is so special! But don't need to buy something like that every single year).

I had already bought my dad some candy and have a non-material birthday gift planned.

**Dh is figuring out whatever for his family. They are WAY into the material Christmas thing, but they also do a lot for us and so we just give them nicer gifts. Maybe $50 per person for his parents and grandma. They will give us more than $150 cash for Christmas, and so I always figure they buy their own Christmas gifts anyway.