The Perfect Something

Trying to come up with the perfect something for everyone at Christmas is potentially the hardest thing ever.

I am a seasoned shopper - one who loves digging through the racks for hours and getting a good deal, and enjoys trying on countless pairs of shoes before settling on the perfect pair. However, when it comes to finding the perfect something for someone who is not me, we have problems.

Is it amazing to anyone else who is childless the way they label kid clothes? I needed to find the perfect trendsetting outfit for my fabulous niece, but who knows what's really going to fit her - I seriously stood in the kid's section of about 10 different stores trying to figure out if there's really a difference between the 18-24 month size and the 2T - I don't believe there is by the way - while my mom and my sister laughed at me every time I called them to question what size does she really wear, or how many pounds is she or how tall? It's amazing how much work toddler clothes shopping is! Kudos to those of you who have to do it more often than me.

And then there's my sister - my wonderful little sister who is so awesome that I really want to find something perfect for - not just a box set DVD of some tragic MTV reality show. However, I don't think that the perfect little something for her exists. I have literally spent over three hours looking for a gift for her - not counting the time I've spent trying to THINK of something - and she's not much help in the idea department.

Where I am super organized and have my wish list written down and actually have a plethora of things on it, she comes up with nothing every time you ask. Maybe she feels funny asking for things - but it's a WISH list - you'd think the girl would have something in mind!!

My main annoyance with trying to find the perfect something for everyone really stems from I feel like we loose the meaning of Christmas when we're all stressed out doing last second shopping.

Christmas time is supposed to be a celebration - not only of the birth of Christ - but of family. Spending time with loved ones should be what the focus is and instead, we rack our brains trying to come up with the perfect something that really may not be obtainable.

So - while my neice may not be the most trendsetting almost 2 year old this Christmas and my sister may wind up with a tragic MTV reality series, it's the time spent with them while unwrapping gifts or going around town looking at Christmas lights, or annoying my sister by belting Christmas songs for hours on end that really counts.

Next year, I'm vowing to spend less time in the stores trying to get the perfect something so I can spend more time enjoying my family.