holiday shopping

is it just me or does stuffing yourself with turkey and pie one day followed by shopping at 5 am the very next day seem a bit excessive?

the stores are opening at 5am tomorrow. that's right. 5am. in the morning. for shopping. doorbusters, early bird specials, 5 hour sales.

i am not opposed to shopping early. most saturdays i am out the door at 8am for groceries but only because i hate the saturday afternoon crowds at the store. you know the ones. miniature armies of families that need to shop all at once with multiple carts while they stock up on blue soda and treat the entire trip as part of a family visit? but i digress.

this year, i am aiming to do most of my shopping online because i just won't have the time between work and the kids to do my annual shop till you drop bonanza on the first wednesday of december. this was always a fun day for me. i would hit the mall by 8am and shop for 12 hours straight, finishing in one fell swoop all of my holiday shopping. not bad. but with two kids, most of what i used to do is but a fond memory.

i will shop online from the comfort of my home (or office), without having to deal with one surly, sour-faced cashier or having to look for parking.

here are some of my favorite shopping links

kohl's
target
lands end check out their overstocks section for amazing deals
disneyshopping authentic disney merchandise cheap
old navy they can have some pretty good prices in their bargains section
couponcabin
bizrate
buy.com if you're shopping for music and books, don't pay amazon prices
overstock.com

if i must shop "offline" one way i do it is to go late on a friday. some stores are open until midnight for the holidays. i have bought many gifts at kohl's, target and toysrus this way. and i suspect that prices are lowered on friday in preparation for the saturday rush. and you should see how fast the cashiers move when it's close to quittin' time.

you have 31 days left. let the shopping games begin.