It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas?????

Not even August and I'm starting to see some buzz on the www in relation to Christmas themes, planning etc. The big retailers have allowed us to scratch and bite our way through the toy sales and stuff their lay-by departments to the rafters.

Time to start organising my Christmas list!!

I've written before about the amount of toys in our house , that said - the kids do get a gift from Santa and I do buy gifts for my nieces and nephew.

Given that I spend a lot - OK - more than a lot - OK,OK WAY TOO MUCH time on line I get a lot of my Xmas gifts and ideas here too.

I love the ease that is online shopping, the advantage of the 'wish list' is great when you don't want to buy yet, but don't want to forget what you want to buy!

I've found some amazing sites and I like the fact the kids are not getting really 'commercial' toys either. Here are some of my faves......

* IQ toys - amazing range and quick delivery

* Central Station Toys - if your kids LOVE Thomas this is for you!

* My Wooden Toys - gorgeous, bright wooden toys for all ages. Last year I picked up this and this for my two youngest nieces.

I have a plastic pocket folder I keep all my ideas in as well as Xmas card lists, recipes for food gifts etc. You can get a whole bunch of templates from the net if you want to be all pretty and same -  same with your design!

By the time December rolls around I am pretty much finished gift buying and can relax and enjoy the season. How do you prepare for Xmas? Do you do the last minute rush or the super OCD planning?