Christmas is a great way to get in touch with just how much guilt you really do carry around.  You can tell by the way you spend on certain people how guilty you really feel towards them.  I would love to see some kind of study on how much more moms who work outside the home spend on their kids versus stay at home moms.  Not that both don’t have guilt, but since I’ve gone to work outside the home I’ve added a whole new layer of mommy guilt to my repertoire.  Take for example the awful guilt I felt yesterday when I met Gracie’s kindergarten teacher for the FIRST time.  Yes, I hadn’t met her until we were three months into the school year.  My husband and mother see her everyday, but not me.  I work too far away, and too late, to be the drop off or pickup person.

Anyway, back to that spending study.  I realize that since I’ve gone back to work outside the house I spend more on Gracie at Christmas than I did when I worked at home.  You could argue it’s because i have more money, but that’s not true.  I made a pretty good living at home for a couple of years too.  Nope, this is about my guilt.  Guilt for not being there.  Of course buying more toys isn’t going to replace my presence at school drop off and pickup time, or for after school snack and snuggle time, but it makes me feel better for about 3 minutes, so what the hell!

So I have officially over-shopped already for Gracie, and it’s only December 2nd.  I’m sure there are a few last minute things I’ll pick up along the way. Like in a couple of weeks when I feel guilty for sending store baked goodies to the school party because I’m not a domestic mommy, and I don’t bake.  I’m sure I could try to bake and it would be okay, but I don’t bake.  I just feel guilty about not baking, and buy something at the store for Gracie to bring in. Get it?

Now it is time for me to shop for everyone else on our list because I am the female.  I think it has something to do with our hunter-gatherer roots or something, because most of the women I know end up being the holiday shoppers for their whole family.  Maybe our instinctive ability to gather the plumpest berries and tastiest nuts has evolved into an ability to spot a cashmere scarf on sale from a mile away?  I’m so good at it that I even do shopping for my mom and sometimes my mother-in-law.   Hey, everyone has to have a talent, right?

Now that I work outside the home, I am the queen of online shopping.  While I sit here on boring conference calls, or listening to prospects drone on without ever coming to a point, I hunt the online bargains.   I also gather unusual gift ideas.  It is often true that the thought is the thing that truly counts and I’ve found ways to turn some great thoughts into great gifts.

Gathered here for you are some of my sure-fire holiday gift ideas.  Feel free to say you thought them up all by yourself.  I know you’ll feel guilty about taking the credit, but what’s a little more guilt among friends?

Gift of the Month Clubs

Yes, I am totally aware that these clubs are the butt of many jokes, but the reality is that elderly people love them!  It gives them something to look forward to each and every month, and I promise you they will call every month when their new arrival comes.  Some of my favorites are:

The Potato Chip of the Month - I know I would love to get this!  I love chips and I love to try new kinds. This is great for the college student in your life too!

Soup of the Month - this is really nice for grandparents or older aunts and uncles living in colder climates. The mixes are easy to use and always warm the heart.

Breakfast of the Month - is a really sweet idea too.  I would love it, but it doesn’t come in a gluten free variety. Sadly I just get to send this one, not get it

The Of the Month Store has over 40 different clubs including the fruit, steak and flower clubs you are probably more familiar with .  I bet you didn’t know there is a pickle of the month, huh?  How cool is that for gag gift.  They’ve also got jerky of the month!  Hmmmm….I feel a gag gift for my brothers coming on!

Coolest Handmade Gifts That You Didn’t Make

I’ll admit that I do make gifts for people.  I love paper crafting so I’m all about making special albums, journals and ornaments for people.  However, I don’t always have the time or the skill to make the perfect gift for someone. That is when I turn to Etsy, which is the coolest online community of artisans ever!  You can find just about anything at this site, and there are many artists who do custom work as well.  Here are some of my favorites:

Mootsie - I will be completely up front here and tell you that Mootsie is a very dear friend of mine.  She is how I first learned about the coolness that is Etsy.  Her art is absolutely awesome and she has made jewelry for me as well as holiday ornaments.  Trust me when I say that you will be blown away by her art.  If you are looking for eclectic jewelry you will love her shop.

Helen’s Handbags - This is a great place to find a funky and unique gift for a friend or sister.  She has such a fun time making these things and it shows in her art.  These are truly gifts that won’t be forgotten!

The Dreamy Giraffe - I bought a gorgeous pirate/mermaid print from her and I was just blown away by it in person.  I guess I’m just a sucker for those big eyes she paints, but I swear I could go nuts buying stuff from her!

Some Other Great Places for Gifts

Shutterfly- never underestimate the power of a photo book or calendar.  You don’t have to be a digital scrapbooking wiz to do this.  Shutterfly is my personal favorite because they have so many designs for both photo books and calendars.  You just plop your photos into them and that’s it.  It takes about 15-20 minutes to do and your family will love the books.  Trust me!

Overstock.com - I totally kicked butt shopping here this year.  All kinds of odds and ends including toys, clothes, books and electronics.  I knocked out a bunch of stuff all in one place and I got back 15% in my Paypal account.  I plan to be using that on myself

The Warner Brothers Store Online - I used to be a big fan of this store in the malls, but sadly it closed down.  That doesn’t mean that I can’t find awesome Batman themed gifts for hubby or Tweety-Bird PJ’s for myself, though.  There are some big Looney-Toon fans on my list so this is a must do store.  I do have to say, though, that a Dark Knight Bobble-Head doll just seems wrong, LOL.

Don’t Forget Yourself

What ever you decide to do for shopping this year, don’t forget to be good to yourself.  No matter how much mommy guilt you may be carrying around, my guess is that you are doing your best and I know how hard that is.  Get yourself something nice or even better, get someone to watch the kids to let you go holiday shopping, then sneek off to a movie by yourself!