Shopping for the family at Christmas

I love Christmas time and everything involved with the holiday. I am a gift-giver by nature, so this particular holiday suits me well. I have a very large family and I like to try to find a gift that each recipient will enjoy and realize that some thought was put into it, so my shopping really begins in January as soon as the last holiday is over. I have even dedicated a whole closet in my house to storing gifts for Christmas, anniversaries, and birthdays. The family I buy for is my parents and grandparents, siblings and their families, and my four cousins that were my age and I spent the most time with and their families.

I try to make each year a new theme. This year it is going to be shoes. I decided on that when at the party last year I noticed my cousin's shoes. He is usually nicely dressed as most of the people in my family are, but I saw that one of his shoes was starting to separate at the sole. It is not like him to wear something that is literally falling to pieces, so when I was able to get a private moment with him, I asked him about the shoe. I knew he had been laid off for several months and I was concerned about him but he said that they were doing well, he was just wearing those shoes because they fit him so well that he could not bear to throw them away. Typical man in my family.

For the women on my list, I think I'll get Toms Shoes. I recently discovered this retailer, and they have some of the cutest designs! And they're so comfy, too!