I think this is why I was a tad confused about the Santa issue early on. Because my Dad did his shopping on the day before Christmas, he put presents under the tree Christmas Eve by default.

Yeah. Sometimes my dad would shop a little early, but mostly it was on Christmas eve or the day before. He took me shopping with him one year and it made me vow in my adult life to never wait until the last minute to shop. And if that wasn't enough, 4 years of working retail hammered it home.

Our stockings are usually the fabled orange, nuts, candy, and small toys. Sometimes an accessory for a gift we'd get later on or cassettes or gift cards.

Oh, forgot about the accessories. Sometimes we'd get those, too. Which was sometimes confusing when we opened the stockings first. Though getting batteries in my stocking when I was young was always a cause for excitement since it meant I was getting something cool and noisy.

I remember one year, we ended up having my dad's side of the family over at our place instead of my grandparents' for some reason and I happened to get several battery-powered vehicles that year. Which my dad and my uncles promptly put together, took down the basement and started racing against each other and playing king of the hill with.

I started to go shopping this morning, but when I came out of the subway, I got a couple of voicemail messages from work.

So now I'm at work, my niece's birthday is tomorrow, and I still have to get her a present. I also still have to get everyone else in my family Christmas presents. I want to see my niece, but I'm less than thrilled about seeing the rest of my family, especially this weekend and next, and I really don't want to be at work.

That about covers it. Oh, and I have a headache.

Tom, what's going on?

...

A neighbor came up to my father, all ranty, saying I'd told his daughter there was no Santa. I hadn't. My best friend did it, but that's beside the point. Anyhow, this father was steaming, and just let off a whole rant about me telling his kid Santa didn't exist.

My dad just dead-panned, "I hate to tell you, but he doesn't."

I grew up with "There is no Santa, but it's not nice to tell Christian kids that." I only broke that rule once -- a boy asked me what Santa was bringing me, and I said "nothing," and he told me that I must have been really bad if Santa wasn't bringing me anything, and started listing bad things I might have done. So I told him there was no Santa, and convinced him. He cried. (This was second grade.)

Serves him right, the little nasty.

My mother said that one of the things that our fourth-grade teacher said, in a discussion about how my class was the worst class that any teacher could remember, was that, as an example of how immature we, collectively, were, she'd never seen so many fourth-graders who still believed in Santa.

I'm hearing about all these fifth and sixth graders (this year, I mean) who still believe in Santa. I think I'm the only adult I know, who is convinced they're faking, to make sure the gravy train doesn't dry up.

Ack, Tom. Stress-o-rama.

Oh, Tom, sorry for the Xpost. Can you get something for your niece on the way to see her, tomorrow, and worry about the rest of the family in the coming week?

I'm not hugely into getting presents, and I know it's different for everyone, but I'd much rather have my family member not feeling all stressed out.

{{Tom}}

Do you know what you are getting her? Do you need ideas?

My dad just dead-panned, "I hate to tell you, but he doesn't."

I definitely have to remember that.

Oh, Tom, that just sucks. I hate getting called in to work on my day off and have it just totally muck up all my personal plans.

Oh, Tom, sorry for the Xpost. Can you get something for your niece on the way to see her, tomorrow, and worry about the rest of the family in the coming week?

What Cindy said, focus on getting your neice her gift tonight or tomorrow. You've still got a week to get your family their Christmas presents, so don't worry about it today.

Tom, are there errand-running services you could call from work to get to do some shopping for you?

I have not told my daughter about Santa, but she knows all about the idea. mr. flea is more in favor of the idea, and I don't have a dog in the fight. I was a Santa denier in childhood, myself (my mother comments on it in my baby book when I am 3.)

In my family we do all get stockings (still, as adults), but we haven't made any pretense of Santa in years. This is the first year there's a child of age for it to be relevant.

Ugh, Tom. I am so sorry. Maybe you can skip the family thing and have just some Tom and neice time later on in the week? Or is it an obligatory family gathering?

In any case, {{{{Tom}}}