Get your bush orders in now!

This year’s budget for holiday gifts is about the same as last years; however I’m being more cautious and making every penny count. I have three kids, their spouses; and four grandkids. I’ve also noticed that this year I’m also turning into my parents. I don’t know what the younger kids do or play with. I don’t know their games or who their super heroes are. You have to get it right for the young ones and you have to get it right for all of them. Heaven forbid if you hit it right for one and not the others. It might look like you have favorites. Well I do. I love them all and I make mom help me with a list.


One third of my shopping is done and three quarters of it has been done online. I lack the time or the patience to go to the malls and fight the crowds. I have found some pretty good deals and haven’t paid any shipping.

Shipping is important. It always cost more to send it to Alaska. When I first moved here, the only people that shipped to Alaska were Montgomery Ward’s and Sears. That was it for the big stores. You could order from their catalogs and have it sent to their store and you could go pick it up when it came in. No one else would touch shipping to Alaska. Some people told me on the phone that they only shipped to the United States. That’s where I thought I was. Now a day when someone says free shipping, my first question is if that means Alaska too. If they say yes, I hold them to it. The big companies that have moved up her like Petco, Wal-Mart and Best Buy have learned that there is money in bush orders. That’s shipping to towns and villages in interior Alaska known as the bush, where there are no big stores, just the local general store.

How I’m treated shopping tells me who I’ll shop with next year. I have my few local stores I always hit and then my favorite places online. The big guys have already done me well. Everything I’ve ordered has arrived within a week. Free shipping is usually five to nine days and they have been getting it here in seven or less. With my personal schedule as tight as it is, Santa sure can use a little help.

Make your list, make your shopping plan, local or online, and then get to it. All of my holiday shopping will be done by December 15th. Like I’ve said before, I’m a guy. That will be the soonest I’ve ever had my holiday shopping done. If I can do it with minimal stress, anyone can. Hey, that’s nine days away. I better get cracking!