How on earth is it already November?! Christmas is next month and that fact only dawned on me yesterday. I realised that this year I want to be on my A-game when it comes to all things Christmas, which is why I’ve just arrived home from the shops with three Christmas presents already bought! One for Phill, one for my brother and one for some family friends. Although I was injured in the process – I was getting one of the gifts off the shelf when it fell and hit me on the head – now I’ve got a bruise above my right eye!

This year I am already feeling more optimistic about Christmas because, due to my recent contract change at work, I will not be working the the night of my birthday, Christmas Eve, Boxing Day, New Year’s Eve or New Years Day … for the first time in three years! Being able to spend those special days with my family is going to be great – I was getting a little tired of having to work late and race over to the New Year’s party *just* in time for midnight, or coming home late Christmas Eve and just wanting to go to bed, instead of stay up watching crappy Christmas movies and waiting for Santa.

I recently aquired an iPhone and found a free Christmas gift shopping list application that is useful for keeping a track of what I want to buy everyone. It’s password protected so no prying eyes can see what they are getting *cough* Phill *cough* and I can tick things off as I buy them. It has a space for you to write notes about the present, so I’ve been writing the price and the store name so I could find the best deal. This came in handy today while I was at the shops because I spotted one gift on the list that was $15 cheaper than where I’d originally spotted it, so I saved some money.

I made the mistake of telling Phill I’d bought one of his presents today, and now I have to wrap it up and hide it somewhere safe so he doesn’t get into it. He’s like a six-year-old when it comes to presents – he wants to know what it is and won’t rest until he’s “accidentally” ripped the wrapping to get a peek inside. Sound like anyone you know?

So.. three presents down but there’s still quite a lot to go. At least I’ve started!

How about you? When do you start your Christmas present shopping?