Already behind on my holiday shopping

Yes, I am already behind. And it is only the end of September, I realize, so you may be rolling your eyes...However, long ago (well a few years), I realized that I am able to be more creative and thoughtful in my holiday gift purchasing by giving myself a few months to complete it. It also extrapolates my holiday spending on my "necessary evil" credit cards. :) And, for those of you who read the weekly Analytics blog, this is more important than ever now that my fiance and I are sharing expenses (aka: he put me on a budget. GASP!).

Yet, in my never ending ability to rationalize (aka: forgive myself), I have also determined that my need to get ahead of my holiday shopping means:

a) I cause myself the current stress of feeling "behind" when
b) even starting in September still somehow means I will find myself doing last minute shopping on December 24th despite "getting ahead" since September and usually because I
c) bought so-and-so's gift back in September but stored it someplace I forgot and now am desperate to find something to put under that tree for that person.

Phew! My Cakeplow guilt venting worked - I feel better already! :)