Once I start shopping for Christmas gifts I have trouble cutting it off. I’m not even talking about more gifts for the special people in my life… I’m talking about shopping for myself.
It’s like gambling in a way… when I am buying for others, I think about all the stuff I NEED. It’s an impulse stronger than any I’ve ever felt at a slot machine. Stuff I simply can’t live without? Nope… it’s mainly stupid stuff with a few not-so-stupid items thrown in for good measure.
It’s primarily the sales that hook and drag me in.
Nord VPN is 77% off if you pay annually for 2 years. That pair of shoes I like that I’ll never wear are on sale too. OooOOo… Swan Creek Candles has a huge mark-down today only and I sure do love those. (I have a least 10 jars I haven’t lit yet.)
The temptation is real. It’s even worse after you purchase something for someone online and the company sends an order confirmation email with 30% off your next purchase if you buy before Christmas. Of course, I found items I wanted on those websites… and it’s 30% off, after all!
For example, my kid wears EXPENSIVE cologne. I ordered him a bottle for Christmas and when the order arrived, it had 2 samples inside. I LOVE one of them… have that 30% off coupon… and I even put the product in my cart before stopping just before spending $285.
Make a “wait until January” rule and stick to it!
I have a “wait until January rule” that helps me back-out before clicking the “place order” button. Here’s why:
A lot of impulse buys lose their appeal after a few days
January sales are often better anyway
It turns temptation into a future reward, not a denial
Now you know: After a woman recognized a copy of the rare NES game Stadium Events at a goodwill store, she bought it for $8 despite having just $30 in her account. When she took it to a used video game store, she was offered all the money in the cash register for it. She declined, then sold it online for $25K.
Just when you think you’re rid of these pesky insects, they prove you wrong. I seriously asked Grok if stinkbugs were related to cockroaches since I’ve heard it said that they could survive a nuclear apocalypse.
I found out that stinkbugs are about as closely related to cockroaches as a horse is to a cat. They’re not even cousins, you guys.
I also found out those suckers can stay dormant until spring. It’s nearly impossible to keep them from flying inside when you have 3 dogs going in and out… and once they’re in, they just make themselves comfortable and overwinter inside your home.
It’s so windy and cold, I’m about to go dormant myself.
Snow is coming tonight, they say. I’m struggling to claim my very own spot on the couch and so far, I’m not having much luck.
In the meantime, how about a throwback to Christmas gifts in the 1970s?
Did you receive any of the 3 most dangerous toys of the 70s?
Jarts — Heavy, metal-tipped darts meant to be thrown into a target on the lawn.
They caused thousands of injuries, including skull punctures.
Clacker balls — Two hard acrylic balls on a string you swung up and down to make them “clack.”
The balls sometimes shattered on impact, sending sharp pieces flying. Also known to cause bruises, broken bones, and eye injuries.
Chemistry sets — Many 70s chemistry kits included flammable, corrosive, or toxic substances.
Kids could create heat, smoke, fire, and harmful reactions—all unsupervised.
I’m 2 for 3, but since my favorite brother received a chemistry set, I was the assistant… a much more dangerous job than that of the wacky scientist. 😉
Now you know: The Gilbert U-238 Atomic Energy Lab, a toy from the 1950s, contained actual radioactive material, including uranium ore samples. It also included a Geiger counter and cloud chamber so kids could observe real radioactive decay. It exposed kids to cancer-causing particles.
I love to laugh at real photos made into something else — like a different scene, clothing, or style. You might remember the pirate selfies I created via AI and shared, but my latest endeavor is funnier by far.
I started with ChatGPT and an image of family from Thanksgiving.
With Christmas rapidly approaching, I thought it would be awesome for all of us to be dressed like elves. I asked ChatGPT to only edit the clothes and the background. I typed a full paragraph of nothing but verbiage instructing the app NOT to alter anything at all with faces — they should be kept pixel perfect. The result?
And then I laughed and laughed and sent the photo to my favorite brother. He said, “Oh man — I can’t get my breath because I’m laughing so hard. Poor Mom looks like one of those women that they interview who spent their life in prison.“
Next, I gave ImagineArt a go at it…
While a whole lot better, the image below did require some of my PhotoShop love. I pulled Mom’s face from another photo and added it, and made Colette’s arms the same length (one looked like it belonged on a Tyrannosaurus Rex). Oh! And Perry had 2 arms on one side of his body. 🙄
And finally, I turned to Grok Imagine for the grand finale…
Mom playing her dog like an air guitar makes me laugh every single time I watch it.
Let’s talk about the AI Bubble…
The term “AI bubble” refers to the concern that today’s massive investment and hype around artificial intelligence could resemble past speculative bubbles—most famously the dot-com bubble—where valuations outpaced real economic value.
The concerns stem from gains and explosive stock market growth that are largely driven by AI expectations, not traditional product growth. In addition, there’s HUGE capital spending and customer demand isn’t scaling fast enough. Do you know of any large company, device, news organization or social media platform that isn’t using it?
What do you think? Will we see a “burst” — just a bubble deflated — or do you see AI increasing in demand and value?
Now you know: For a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame there is a $85000 fee plus an application process.
It’s the time the year that Christmas commercials are all telling you why you need to buy THEIR stuff. They offer the fastest results, are easy to use and will make you thinner… or more successful… or more healthy than any other product out there. If you’re like me, you find more stuff this time of year that you want for yourself while you’re shopping for others.
If you’re old, shopping online wasn’t always an option.
I can remember going to the best mall around and shopping with a list of items in mind for the people I needed to buy for. It was back when I had a list of toys for my kid and that was an easy trip too. This girl wasn’t headed to a mall yesterday…
…and it wasn’t on my bingo card to go shopping somewhere last night either.
Shopping online makes it waaaay too easy!
So many of the people on my list to buy for don’t “need” anything and their “wants” are above my pay grade. It’s crazy that I spend $200 for a week’s groceries, but hate to spend the same amount for a freaking gift. Gift cards and money are nothing more than trading envelopes and I hate that too.
So I watch all those commercials in the background as I’m surfing for gifts while hoping a big light bulb will come on over my head. If that happens, within one or two clicks I can check another person off my shopping list.
That’s how I saw the new Chevy Christmas commercial (sorry, they have the VERY BEST Christmas commercials of all time). And now, I’ve decided I want a Chevy!
Now you know: Chevy’s current “holiday short film,” Memory Lane, marks the 5th year of the current “Holiday Card to America” holiday-ad campaign. Previous entries include: 2024’s The Sanctuary, 2023’s A Holiday to Remember, 2022’s Mrs. Hayes, and 2021’s Holiday Ride.
I’m the girl that for YEARS decorated for Christmas on Thanksgiving. Family gathered for food and conversation and like a Hallmark movie, decorated the Christmas tree and snacked on leftovers into the evening hours.
Graduating to senior, old woman status changes things.
I had my 2 Christmas trees up and decorated on Saturday — a full 5 days before the Thanksgiving holiday. Hugo is mesmerized by the lights. 🎄
Perry had to cover 3rd shift at his store the night before so he slept through much of the work. Ben grumbled because he had to carry all the decorations down from the storage cubby upstairs. He bitched more when he had to move the emptied boxes back upstairs. When I asked Colette if she wanted to help, she scoffed. And Katie, a permanent fixture at all holiday gatherings is living in Tennessee.
It’s not always a bad thing to break tradition.
While I miss Katie being around (and helping out… baking cookies and persimmon pudding), I’m still decorating in anticipation of the holiday season. Also breaking tradition, Mom is having Thanksgiving at her place this year when I’ve always hosted it in the past. I’m GREAT with that and am looking forward to eating there and spending time with our mini family.
And I found that I’m now decorating for Christmas for ME… not for anyone else.
There’s no ‘chicken little’ moral of the story here that ends with “who will help me eat the bread” (after they didn’t help her do the work required to make it), everyone can enjoy the lights. And it’s even ok if they don’t or don’t care, because I do. Both trees were decorated before yesterday and Colette hadn’t even acknowledged their presence before going to her Mom’s. What a brat, right? 🩷
Be a Nanny at Christmastime!
I remember one year a loooong time ago that Nanny proclaimed she wasn’t going to decorate for Christmas. Pap-pa had already passed away and she lived by herself. I was appalled! I shamed her by saying she should at LEAST hang a lighted wreath in her front picture window. She did. And then she added a small table tree in the dining room… and then she got out other holiday items to sit around in the living room.
The women from church saw her decorations from the highway and told her how pretty her house looked. She told me she was happy she decorated. When putting everything away after the 1st of the year, she claimed she would NOT be decorating the next year… but she did. And she did every year after that until she was no longer able.
Be like Nanny and spread some Christmas cheer! Some of it might rub off on you even if you’re feeling bah-humbug during the holiday season.
Now you know: Most people in the US decorate for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving (Black Friday), with 40-50% of households putting up decorations that weekend, according to surveys like those from the National Christmas Tree Association. Retail trends show Christmas tree sales peak before Thanksgiving, with 25-30 million real trees sold annually.
