on christmas shopping and bad days.

because my blog is my own little place to say anything i want, i'm just going to be in a bad mood, okay?

problem #1 christmas shopping.
first let me say that i LOVE the entire christmas season. i love buying gifts for some people, i love putting lights and decorations on the tree, i love baking cookies (and i'm a self-proclaimed baker hater), i love oldies christmas music, i love the smell of cinnamon and evergreens, i love eating too much, i love waking up early on christmas morning.... so, you can see that i really love the holiday season. but, one big stressful area is christmas shopping for a few people. i finally decided that this year i will not buy buy gifts for those people anymore, and here's why: we are not close, they are not young children, i don't even enjoy shopping for them, and most of all, chris and i have very little money this year. so i thought christmas would be stress-free this year, but chris says i need to buy them gifts. so i'm wondering, when do you stop buying for people you're not close with? is there an age at which you stop (either their age or yours)? WHAT SHOULD I DO???

problem #2 my little camera.
for the last few months i've had nothing but trouble with my little point and shoot camera that i use to take pictures for etsy & my website. i try taking the same pictures over and over and over, at different times of the day, at different places in the house, and i CANNOT get a decent picture no matter how hard i try. my little camera has always served its purpose, and i don't know if its age, 4 whole years, is the problem or if there is something internally wrong, but i can say with absolute certainty that it is not user error. i could just use the big, bulky camera for product pictures, but since i'm photographing small items, i just think such a big camera is overkill. i'm so mad i even broke down and cried like a baby when chris called me just a few minutes ago. it's really starting to bother me, and seriously, how can i expect to run a successful online business when my camera is a crusty dog turd?

problem #3 i don't know.
i don't know exactly what the next problem is, but i'm just in a bad mood and want to have another problem. okay? and if you don't believe the foulness of my mood, take for example the fact that i don't even have a picture. maybe it's because i just want to spite my camera, i don't know, but i love blog posts with pictures, so this just isn't like me! oh yeah, and i lost three followers int he span of a few hours. what did i say???

the end. hopefully tomorrow will be better.

15 comments:

  1. Danielle! Don't feel so down. Maybe your camera problems will be fixed after Christmas (perhaps a good gift?).
    To the people who you're not close to and you don't want to give presents to:
    Al and I do Christmas cds with a cheesy picture of us and the kids. It's a nice gesture and relatively inexpensive. People love the cds.
    As for the 3 followers, I am going to recommend you to a bunch of people right now!
    Don't worry...better followers are coming;)

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  2. I have the same problem with Christmas gifts. I only really have 3 people that I have to give something to and another few that I usually do, but it's getting to the point where I don't think I really have to give them anything (they usually only give me a card). But I love giving gifts and coming up with an idea and packaging it, so it's probably more like something I'm doing for myself than for them. Anyway. What I do for gifts is I make something that I wouldn't mind keeping myself. Usually (to save costs and keep out of malls), I make a handmade ornament and something baked. So if I see them, I have something prepared and I don't have to worry about being empty handed. But if I don't, we can have the treat and I can hang the ornament on my tree along with my others. Win win.

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  3. your blog is AWESOME (note the capitals, that's how much I mean it) i think having a stand by basket of baked goods is the best present for the people you've described: hand made and inexpensive is the way to go. keep smilin'. ps ive got some of your jewellery on my christmas wish list xo

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  4. NOT buying gifts has been of the most rewarding experiences I have ever had! For years I have been on such a tight budget that there was no way I could afford gifts. So rather then stress I simply planned special dates with the people I wanted to give something to. We would do something that was unique to our relationship (shopping, drinking beers on a rooftop, movie in the park, etc.) Granted this didn't work for those out of state so they just had to settle for letter or talking to me via Skype.

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  5. aww missy! of course it's okay and i get you. today is just not a good day i'm starting to think. mine is complete crud as well. i hope yours gets better soon :)

    as for christmas presents, i say down with the gifts! ok, let me think about this more. i don't think it's necessary to buy them gifts and i'll have to agree with kirst that baked goods is a simple yet thoughtful gift that anyone would really appreciate.

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  6. aww.. well I'm in a bad mood these days too :)
    As for presents maybe something you can make yourself cheaply? Martha Stewart's craft+gift list is pretty extensive and might spark some ideas even if you make a less "wholesome"( but more edgy/cool/you) version of the stuff :)

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  7. I have really downsized who I buy christmas gifts for pretty much to my immediate family. If you feel pressured to get them something just make it something small I loved Kirst's idea of the baked goods on standby. Hope your feeling happier soon, dont woory about losing followers its their loss.

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  8. Ohhhh girly. I hate days like this. It's so hard to pull yourself out of a funk like this. It will pass, but it's hard to remember that in the moment. As far as Christmas gifts, this is what I think. If they're going to get you a gift, then it will be awkward not to have anything for them. Here is what I would do: I'd email them and say "I love y'all SO much but how about we just exchange cards this year since we're getting older and I am so stressed about not knowing what to buy!" I bet they'd think it was a relief and be totally on the same page as you. Good luck!!

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  9. also, with talent like yours, I can't imagine that everyone wouldn't want jewels that you made! that would be the most special gift EVER!

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  10. I've been kinda down and not understanding why either. I think maybe it's daylight savings? And how it's getting dark so much earlier? I don't know. I just know I've been bummed a lot lately. I say some egg nog is in order, agreed? ;)

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  11. I completely agree about the shopping thing. I have 3 relatives that I am obligated to buy gifts for, and I never see them. I know that whatever I give them will just get returned, but it feels tacky to give them cash. It's all lose-lose. I would so much rather spend the extra money on extra awesome things for people I like. And see more than once a year.

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  12. Danielle, Chill baby! hehe. I had a day like this yesterday - I cried about 3 things - one of which was my birthday, and the other presents and christmas eve and family and giving or not giving spirits. You'll work it out, there's no one answer to this situation.

    Treat yourself to a new camera. It's an important business expense for an online shop. A 3 or 4 year old camera is over the hill for a pos. I don't know if you have a slr - but they're pretty awesome - and great for product shoots.

    Lastly - I gain and loose followers all the time. I just assume they died.

    Love!!!Jill

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  13. i'm sorry you're having a bad day my friend :(.

    crappy cameras suck. even worse....crappy iphones that are both your camera and phone. mine is about to crap out and it's what i use to take all my photos....oh yeah...and make phone calls. i've had to restore it 3 times in the last week, because it's going nuts-o! i keep losing everything each time i have to do it. AND... i have to keep it working for another 8 months before my i can get an upgrade :(. sorry for ranting about my bad luck today, back to you........

    i think christmas gifts are ridiculous and i'm so over them. instead of buying presents for everyone, just make a donation (they don't have to know the amount) and send them a card saying that a donation has been made in lieu of presents. that way you're not wasting money on crap you don't want to buy, but rather on something you WANT to spend money on....and it doesn't have to be very much. but...i'm with you....if these people aren't involved in your life, then why buy them gifts? that's not the point of christmas anyway.

    hope your day is better tomorrow my dear!

    xo!!!

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  14. PS: i lose followers all the time, so don't feel bad. it's all about quality, not quantity, right :)?

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  15. your blog is rad.
    it's your missing follower's loss, not yours.
    i totally understand where you are coming from with that camera nonsense.
    my little point shoot broke down THREE WHOLE TIMES before i said to hell with it and just went without for awhile. which sucked.
    now i have a canon rebel and it's pretty awesome!! consider an SLR.

    if you don't want to get people gifts, don't! make a meaningful card in case they spring a gift on you. i can't afford anything for anyone either, it's frustrating.

    hope everything got a little better.

    eva.
    evasuejane.blogspot.com

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