Doing any last-minute Christmas shopping? Christmas this year will certainly be different. Because of covid, this will be the first time in about ten years that I have not sung in our church’s six Christmas Eve services the two days before Christmas. No long choir rehearsals, dress rehearsal, and all of the hours waiting at church before and after services. So you would think that with all this extra time on my hands I would be more organized in my holiday preparations.

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Are you a last-minute Christmas person? This year more people have been ordering gifts online. I have to say that if you do not have Amazon prime you are missing out! And you are in luck, if you use my affiliate link you can get 50% off Amazon Prime until the end of this month!

One of the best perks of being a Prime member is the free shipping. And it is usually next day shipping too. But in addition to free shipping, special member discounts, and the famous Prime Day, you get lots of free movies.

And speaking of movies, movies make great gifts for all ages. What is your favorite holiday movie? Are you a hopeless romantic who watches the same plot and set used over and over with different characters in Hallmark Christmas movies? Or do you like the classics? One of my favorites is Charlie Brown. And who can forget Buddy the Elf? Can you believe that my husband had not ever seen the movie Elf? I know, right? So I did what I had to do. I staged an intervention right here in our living room!

What’s you favorite line from the movie “Elf?” Here are some of mine:

• I love smiling. Smiling is my favorite!
• Work. Work is your favorite.
• You sit on a throne of lies.
• The best way to spread Christmas cheer is to sing loud for all to hear.

Last night I watched another classic: “The Sound of Music.” When I lived in Germany I was only about four hours from Salzburg, Austria where they filmed the movie. I took a tour once and got to see the set. Stay tuned for more travel stories, and I will show you some of my pictures of the beautiful Alps.

And now that you have signed up for Amazon Prime, I want to share an awesome purchase we just made. We got two small Wyze cameras for less than $50, and I love them! Our puppy, Layla, has separation anxiety and tears up things when we both leave for work. She has torn up a chair, the carpet, a sofa, and two dog beds!

So now I can spy on her and the other dog when I’m gone. And the cool thing is that it is two-way voice-activated, so I can just push a microphone icon and talk to Layla. When I say, “Layla, you better not tear up your new dog bed,” you should see her startled expression. It’s hilarious! Anyway, we like these so much that we have ordered another one for outdoors. They are super easy to set up. We just love them. Why am I sharing this? Well, they are on sale only for the holidays, so if you use my affiliate link you can grab yours in time for Christmas.

I can spy on Layla and talk to her. This is the night vision. The picture is very clear, and I could not be more pleased with this Wyze camera, especially for the price. Click my affiliate link to get yours too at the sale price now.

Here are some more great ideas from Amazon for your last-minute Christmas shopping:

My Pillow – Wow! My husband and I just got these pillows recently, and they actually do live up to the hype. I have always had trouble finding a pillow that is just right for my neck. This one is perfect. My neck is perfectly aligned, and I breathe better. I have never had a better night’s sleep.

6-Piece Towel Set – This is another recent purchase. Our towels were looking pretty raggedy, so it was time to replace them. These towel sets are a really good deal, and they have a wide variety of colors.

Charmin Toilet Paper – This may sound like a weird Christmas gift, but maybe you can buy it for yourself! And honestly, it is still 2020, so toilet paper can make a valuable gift for the right person.

Remember how I said that Layla likes to tear things up when we leave for work? I had just purchased this big multi-pack, and the results are below. Charmin is our favorite because we think it is softer. And this package was literally the last one on the shelf in the grocery store. In fact, it was so far back I had to get a spatula displayed nearby and do some gymnastics to try to reach it (I am only 5′ 1″). Had I known about this deal on Amazon I would have jumped at it. This is way cheaper than the grocery store.

Books – Books always make a great Christmas gift. Many people make New Year’s resolutions to read more, so receiving a gift at Christmas is always welcomed. I wanted to brush up on my Bible knowledge, so I bought a book called 30 Days to Understanding the Bible: Unlock the Scripture in 15 Minutes a Day. It is a great book for simplifying and helping me to remember all of the major characters, locations, and themes in the Bible. I also bought a business book called Building a Story Brand by Donald Miller.

Click either of these links and it will bring you to the book section of Amazon where you can browse for the book of your choice. They say if you don’t meet a few new people and read a few new books each year, then you will be the same person you were last year. Rather listen to a book? Audible Plus has an awesome Holiday Promotion until the end of the month. Only $4.95/month for the first six months!

So jump online and grab those last-minute gifts today so they’ll arrive in time for Christmas. Do you have any other good ideas? Let me know in the comments below. Also, don’t forget to share your favorite holiday movie choices. Merry Christmas!