christmas shopping

to my credit, this year i've started my christmas shopping already. when melissa and i were in new york, i picked up a little diddy for my mom. soon after we visited montreal and i was able to start and finish my sister's gifts, and then add something for skippy. it's not even december yet, and i'm over half-way finished buying for my family.

the tricky part comes now that melissa and i have been dating. obviously, i'm inclined to buy her gifts. and that part i've started too. but it becomes complicated when i visit her family for christmas. i'd like to have something (small) for each of them. so the strategy i've adopted is to find little diddys for each of the family members, plus melissa's sister's boyfriend, who lives in the house. however, not knowing their tastes and what others in the family might be purchasing for each other, this task becomes increasingly difficult.

i suppose this is where melissa would come in handy with recommendations, but i'm one who prefers to come up with my own ideas when it comes to gift-giving. luckily, i still have a month of shopping left.