Countdown: 40 Shopping Days 'Til Christmas

It's hard to believe, isn't it?

And it seems like the older I get, the faster the Holidays sneak up on me. I used to be so organized - I used to start my Holiday shopping in July, buy one gift a week and be done and ready to start wrapping by the end of November! It was actually a yearly ritual for me to wrap my first present on Thanksgiving night.

It seemed like such a practical thing to do, but in hindsight, I was usually over my Holiday spending budget by September. And by October, I was buying duplicate items, double-gifting (my term for buying two presents for the same person), forgetting who I'd already bought for, buying just for the sake of buying and running out of room to hide everything!

So these days, I wait until closer to the Holidays to start my spending spree.

And honestly, I enjoy shopping during the Holiday Season. I adore looking for - and especially finding - that perfect 'thing' that will make my Mom cry or my husband laugh. It raises my spirits and brings me joy. Of course these days, I'm more likely to put on a CD of Christmas Carols, plug in the tree lights, grab a cup of hot chocolate and cuddle up to my laptop in my pajamas rather than get up at 5am to join the bustling crowds!

And I'm not alone. The largest online shopping day of the year in 2008 was December 8th with over $880 million in total sales. While pure convenience tops the list, there are so many reasons why online shopping gets more and more popular year after year. I appreciate it so much as a consumer, and now as an indie biz owner, too.

Last year was the biggest Holiday Season so far for Bellissima. We've been working hard to get ready for this Season, so I thought I would blog a Holiday Gift Guide of sorts and highlight some Bellissima items perfect for gift-giving this Holiday Season!

Starting tomorrow, I'll be posting some great ideas for Holiday Shoppers from the Bellissima Catalogue. There'll be bargains galore - everything from discounts and coupons to shipping deals that will be available at both of our shops: BellissimaMinerals.etsy.com and www.bellissimatruccominerale.com! And I'll be putting together some special offers just for our Blog Readers - so be sure to Stay Tuned!