Advent Calendar of Memories - Shopping

 How did your family handle Christmas Shopping? Did anyone finish early or did anyone start on Christmas Eve?
I do not recall anyone during my childhood/youth being last minute shoppers. My mother was a list maker and kept track of the gift giving as well as those gifts received in her notebooks . I am sure things were not left to the last minute as Christmas time was always a busy time in the grocery business. I still have the tiny notebooks. The earliest that I can find with the list of gifts written in shorthand was in 1955.

Gifts purchased have a check mark beside them. This is only page one of two for that year. Mom had gifts to purchase that had to be sent by mail so she would have to get those away early. She gave gifts to her siblings and her nieces and nephews. I can remember when there was enough mail around Christmas that we received two deliveries a day by Canada Post.
What did I get from mom and dad that year? -- Slippers, pyjamas, and telephone (toy of course)

My shopping for this year is almost complete. One more thing for my sister. As it usually happens, I end up buying something for myself. At one time, I could count on my mother to buy me the socks and mitts/gloves that I needed for our cold weather, but now it is up to me to make these purchases. I got some good deals on them when I went shopping this past week. 

Hope you have had fun shopping.

updated from 2007 

© 2009 Janet Iles