Too On Top of Things?

Every year as I'm rushing to finish my Christmas shopping and get things shipped off in time, I tell myself that it will be different next year. This year, I actually managed to bring that goal to fruition. I still have a number of people for whom I need to buy gifts, but the kids are pretty much done with the exception of a few more stocking stuffers for Ben, and I mostly just need stocking stuffers for James. My mom is taken care of in terms of figuring things out, although I'm planning to make a gift for her that's going to take a bit of time, so I need to get going on that.

I have gifts or ideas for several other people on my list and now need to figure out what to get for the rest of them, but I'm feeling pretty good. There are two downsides to being this far ahead, though:

1. I have a hard time waiting until Christmas to give them their gifts because I'm excited and want to see them opening up and enjoying their presents. My top love language is gifts, and I think it's very evident when gift-giving occasions occur. I even really enjoy buying things for Operation Christmas Child and items for food drives. I love to give, so it's hard for me to have patience when things are in my possession for that long. It's like they're burning a hole in my closet.
   
2. It's a letdown when my buying is done (especially for the kids) and I don't get to discover and get more things for people, particularly if I find something that would have been a perfect gift but I clearly have more than enough things already.

Still, those are minor in comparison to the pressure of finishing with Christmas purchases. It's a self-imposed pressure since most people are not going to judge me on the scale by which I judge my own choices for them, but it's pressure nonetheless. I would have preferred to have started with the difficult people, but inspiration can be hard to come by for some.