Guess I'd better start my Christmas shopping soon...

I'm not normally a procrastinator, but I rarely start shopping for Christmas presents much before, oh, round about now, I guess.

Yeah, two weeks before the holiday is usually about right for me. Sometimes sooner, sometimes later. But two weeks is pretty much my norm.

I fall right into Guy Stereotype #47 in that I do not especially enjoy shopping. I come up with a list of specific items before I leave the house, and then I go looking for those specific items. Once I find them, I go home. I generally do not buy anything else. As soon as everything on my list is checked off, I stop.

Then, at some point soon after, I wrap those same gifts. And I finish the whole thing as soon as possible in the same way I try and finish scooping out the cat litter boxes every morning. It's just another to-do that needs to be completed.

I actually don't mind crowds and traffic this time of year. To me they come with the territory, and a store full of people has a Christmas-like quality to it (Which is sad, isn't it? Because that suggests that buying stuff is the No. 1 thing I associate with Christmas. My bad.)

What I don't like is not finding the things on my list. So that's why I plan so extensively before I venture out to shop. I want to walk in, find what I need, buy it, and walk out.

Sometime this works, sometimes it doesn't. When it doesn't work, I admittedly get a little frustrated.

So here's a holiday tip: If you're someone to whom I give a Christmas present, please check with me first for my List of Approved Stores at which I'm willing to shop. Also be prepared to tell me exactly where inside those stores I can find your desired item.

That's what Terry does and it works great for both of us.

Merry Christmas!