Now that my in-laws are gone, and I am released from all the effort of meal planning for people who aren’t my husband and cleaning up after two additional people in my home and trying to be friendly and social when I am neither, I can fully experience the weight that is the End of Year Crush.
It seems that the instant Halloween ends, the year starts pell-melling faster than I can keep up, and I am feeling winded already.
We are blissfully free of Thanksgiving obligations this year. It’s just the three of us this year again, which is a relief. No entertaining or massive meal to be stressed over and undertaken. I mean, I am definitely making myself some goat cheese mashed potatoes, and I expect my husband will want dressing, and, in my opinion, you can’t make the really good, rich gravy without roasting at least some part of a turkey. But it will be easier and less anxiety-filled, it what I’m saying. HOWEVER, Hanukkah follows quickly on the heels of Thanksgiving, and then it will be Christmas, and then the calendar will flip over into 2022 before we can blink an eye.
There are a couple of critical tasks that I need to complete in the next few weeks.
Holiday Cards
I forced my husband to take family photos for our holiday cards. He very reluctantly complied, and drove the thiree of us out to a beautiful autumnal setting and wore a nice outfit and took several photos with his fancy camera. And they are… fine. They’re just fine. I hate the way I look in them, but that’s fine. No one else will notice. No. One. They’re fine.
Mpix had a good discount going over the Halloween weekend, and I made samples of multiple cards with the photos my husband took, and showed them to him. And he had a few tweaks and requests, which I made… and then we both promptly forgot about them until after midnight and the deal had ended. Sigh.
Well. We got a coupon for Minted, so I have already created some samples there. I just need my husband to go through them and choose his favorite and I will order those puppies SO FAST.
Holiday Gifts
Presents are… not done, not by a mile. But I have the rest of November to stress about them. Except November is already HALF OVER OMG. I already ordered my husband’s big gift from me, and Santa Claus delivered two of Carla’s gifts early, so I feel okay about things. Despite all of your lovely advice when last I brought this up, I still have no earthly idea what to get any of our parents or our siblings.
Our parents are particularly tricky because a) they have everything they want/need already and b) they don’t have a lot of room/desire for Things. Usually, I get my parents consumables, but they are going to be driving here for Christmas and then going on a road trip around the country, and I don’t know if a big gift crate of cheese will survive the trip back. Everyone reads books, but they all read CONSTANTLY so it is difficult to know what any one person has/hasn’t read yet. My husband and I received some of those mystery games you can play in a group last year; those are fun. Maybe everyone will get one of those.
My sister-in-law mentioned that my niece might want a big craft mat like Carla has, so I think that will be one gift from us… but it’s not very fun. And my sister-in-law also showed me a picture of a beautiful opal necklace she liked on Etsy, so I might look for something similar to get her.
My mother-in-law claims that she really likes the food I cook, which is so kind and such a compliment. For Christmas, she requested a collection of the recipes I use. Of course I would prefer to photograph some of the meals I make and create a real book for her, but I just don’t know if I have the time or the photography skills to get it done before Christmas. Well, we’ll see what I can do. Right now, I’m thinking this might be a better gift idea for Mother’s Day or her birthday.
That’s all the ideas I have. Beyond those meager half-formed thoughts, I am stumped. STUMPED.
Oh! I had an idea for my husband and I wanted to run it by you.
He taught himself how to create and produce music during the pandemic. You know. While also still being a physician, husband, and father. (During the pandemic I… dyed my hair a couple of times and refrained from killing anyone during remote learning. Does that count?) Anyway, his music is amazing and I am so proud of him and blown away by his talent. He created a title card for the first song he produced which features an artsy photo he took, the title of the song, and his artist name. So I was thinking of putting that title card on a sweatshirt from zazzle and ordering it for him.
But I can’t commit to that idea! I keep going back and forth between “he will be so pumped and touched to have his music commemorated this way!” to “omg he will feel super awkward to wear a sweatshirt featuring his OWN music.”
What do you think? Is it weird? No one will KNOW, of course. But I suppose there is a very small chance that someone might ask him about it, and then he might be embarrassed? I don’t know!!! Would Mark Ronson wear a sweatshirt featuring his own album art? Would Ryan Tedder? I don’t know!!!!!!!!!
Without knowing my husband AT ALL, what would you suggest? Is it an ill-advised idea? Should I order myself a sweatshirt featuring his album art? That way it would be flattering but less self-aggrandizing?
And if I don’t get him THAT, what do I get him??????
life of a doctor's wife 
I wonder if either of your inlaws would want a t-shirt or sweatshirt (or trivet or tote bag or whatever the other options are that might be right for them) with their son’s album art on it, plus a copy of his music? It would be a fun thing for your husband to see them open on Christmas, and feels VERY supportive/enthusiastic, and then you could tell him the sweatshirt conundrum and see if he says “No, I would have LOVED that” or whatever, and then be like “OKAY NOW FORGET ALL ABOUT IT UNTIL AFTER YOUR BIRTHDAY.”
I bought some gifts for my parents, and last night realized I bought them nothing but clothes. It was clothes they put on their wish lists, but still: they are spending Christmas at their home, just the two of them, and I do not want them to open a big pile of practical clothing and that is Christmas over with! So now I am scrambling for small fun ideas. Plus a big box of candy from local place they loved when they lived here.
This is a Very Good Idea. Thank you!
My husband won a photography contest this year (the grand prize and we won a trip!).
The winning picture was a very nice picture of a cow. This cow is now going to be wrapped and under the tree on a black and white tote canvas bag.
To be clear, it is the grand-prize winning PICTURE of the cow on the tote bag, not the actual cow. That would be awkward. And would require me stealing a cow. So awkward AND illegal…and we only own a compact sedan, so logistically impossible.
LOL!!!
Wow, I can’t believe your husband learned to create music! That’s pretty impressive. I think the sweatshirt idea is really cool, but I can see your quandary. I have no idea – on the one hand, it’s a gift, and it’s so thoughtful, and if he doesn’t feel comfortable wearing it out in public he could certainly enjoy it at home. On the other hand, I have no idea if musicians would wear their own merch. Probably NOT. But I still think it’s a really lovely idea. Maybe it would be better for a sweatshirt for you? Or matching sweatshirts? To commemorate such an achievement? It’s not like you’d have to wear them at the same time or anything. Hmmmm. Sorry, I am NOT helpful at all.
I think it is absolutely wonderful that your MIL loves your recipes enough to want a whole recipe book! That’s really lovely. I am trying to think of this happening in my home and no. That would not happen. I think if you could make a whole book with photos, that would be wonderful – maybe you’re right though, birthday or Mother’s Day might be better.
Ack, I just realized that this whole comment is the opposite of helpful. Should I delete and start over?
No, it is the exact same thought process I keep going through 😂
A) I made a recipe book one year for the whole family and it took me eleven months. So I would wait on that one.
B) Get your husband a wall print of his art, not a sweatshirt. He can hang it up somewhere and then you don’t have the question of whether he wants to wear it or not. Wall art is definitely cool. And I 100% agree with Swistle’s idea of husband music art items for your inlaws.
Next Christmas it is, for the recipe book!
I agree with this idea. Frame it and commemorate it but don’t put it on a shirt.
For your road tripping parents, how about a gift certificate for a really lovely place (restaurant, art venue, hotel, local tour) at a city/town that is part of their road trip? And what about taking the great title card and find a place to have it blown up some and then beautifully framed so he can hang it somewhere?
Ooooh a gift certificate sounds great! And I am liking this art idea more and more.
I don’t know what I’d do about your sweatshirt idea. I can see both sides of the issue. Maybe get the sweatshirt and give it to him with the proviso that he doesn’t have to wear it if he doesn’t want to. He’ll be charmed that you did it, but won’t feel forced to promote himself. 🤷♀️
And then *I* could wear the sweatshirt, which I would love.
I am going to agree with everyone else and say my first thought was some sort of framed title card as wall art.
I think those mystery games sound fun! That’s a good idea, but can they played if there isn’t a big group? I know that I’m not doing a lot of group things these days, so maybe a cooperative game for 2-4 players might be better? I don’t know. It’s so hard to know how people are living their lives these days.
For book readers, a gift card at a bookstore you know they use might be nice (Amazon if they’re Kindle readers, local independent if they shop at their neighborhood store, etc.) or a nice bookmark. I’m a tiny bit obsessed with library card items like library card socks, mugs, and pencils, and have given them to readers in my life to much acclaim. Out of Print has a great gift guide that might have some ideas.
Good luck! Why is gift giving so hard?!
The mystery games would be great for two players – my husband and I originally requested them as a gift we could play together. But they were perfect when my in-laws were here, and Carla played too.
100% agree with the wall art idea for his title card. I think he would LOVE it. For the road-trippers a gift certificate for something along their route would be a good gift. As would a book or something that can point them to interesting stops along the way. The food book sounds involved and I’d save that for a later occasion. But, what about a book with candid photos of Carla?
I have only bought 3 small gifts so far…I am woefully behind and need to get busy (go away COVID! Online shopping is cramping my style!).
I got rocks glasses engraved with my husbands lyrics once and he LOVED them. I think wearing an album on a sweatshirt denotes being a fan, not the creator- so I’d say ask HIM for a sweatshirt with his album art on it as a gift for you, and then do something different with the art or lyrics for him. Lyric on a wall print, coasters of the album art, throw blanket, sound bar art with your favorite snippet of the song, etc…
It sounds like you’ve got some good ideas from the comments, especially getting the sweatshirt(s) for the in-laws. I don’t have anything new.
We can’t take a picture for our card until Noah gets home for Thanksgiving, and I am worried about mail delays, but there’s nothing I can do about it, so I’m trying not to fret. Of course, I could order gifts early, but I’m not doing that either. I guess I’m not motivated.
For your husband, what about a combination of his title card and soundwave art of the song’s intro or something? https://www.soundwavepic.com/ is the sort of thing I am thinking of, but I know I have seen this sort of thing on Etsy before.
I have decided gift giving is so hard because we all have the basics we need AND a lot of extra we want, so it is hard to find the stuff people want but don’t have unless everyone is on a very tight budget.
Not killing anyone during remote learning = life goal. It was the worst.
The. Worst.