Yeah we're out, because Halloween...

[greek_jester]

I feel the same way, as you also see that with Christmas items in December where the metal ornament hooks are sold out before the 20th, and there are no more shipments for the rest of the season. That's when I saw procrastinators freaking out the most, was over those little hooks.

You know what I did when our little bag of ornament hooks went walkabout one year? I used paperclips. Job done. If anyone's peering at your tree closely enough to be able to tell what colour hooks you're using then they need checking out for OCD as it really. Does. Not. Matter.

[Trixie]

I've used the plastic coated covered paper clips for ornaments before. They're a lot sturdier than the cheap hooks.

[Sliceanddice]

You know what I did when our little bag of ornament hooks went walkabout one year? I used paperclips. Job done. If anyone's peering at your tree closely enough to be able to tell what colour hooks you're using then they need checking out for OCD as it really. Does. Not. Matter.

Or they are a elementary school teacher whose school colors include gold and has her/his kids making something to be displayed in the halls....

[XCashier]

I know that every store is different, but can you give a guess as to when our branch of your store might get another truck? I need 36 feet of frilly wire stiffened gold lace ribbon. Would I do better by just ordering it online? I still have a few weeks.

In all honesty, yes. Go through the webpage, find exactly what you want and order it online, or for "buy online, pick up in store". Or you can take the item information to the store and do a special order. That usually takes two weeks to go through. Either way, you're far more likely to get everything you need that way than by waiting until the last minute and running to the store.

If I found that I suddenly had plans late on Halloween I'd grab whatever I could and make do.

That's one of the nicest things about being in the SCA; you always have a costume for fancy dress parties! (Yes, I've done the "SCA Cop-Out" and worn already-made garb for a costume more than once!)

I worked this Halloween, but it was receiving, and no way was I going to risk ruining a costume receiving freight, so I didn't dress up for work (two of my coworkers did, and their costumes were awesome!) Then son decided he didn't want to go out trick-or-treating with his friends, and we got only one group of Trick-or-treaters, so Halloween was a bust this year.

I have never understood people who wait until the last second to prepare for a holiday. Do they not have calendars?! Hell, hit the Halloween shops after Halloween, get next year's costume at a discount, and put it away safely until it's needed. Plan ahead, people.

[Sparklyturtle]

We got engaged on Christmas Day, and were married in May. On December 26 I was looking at fabric to make a wedding dress. I already had a pattern I wanted to use, and ended up buying the fabric at the fabric store's After Christmas sale. Cost me $60 and change to make a wedding dress.

[Slave to the Phone]

Thank you for the advice to just order it online. The order is completed and the only thing left on my list is to collect pinecones. This is really feeling like a scavenger hunt to me!

[XCashier]

Thank you for the advice to just order it online. The order is completed and the only thing left on my list is to collect pinecones. This is really feeling like a scavenger hunt to me!

Believe it or not, we do sell pine cones in the floral department. (We also sell large bags of cinnamon-scented pine cones.) Or if there are a lot of pine trees in your area, you can always go around the woods and collect fallen ones.

[Slave to the Phone]

Pine cones I've got We are doing this on the cheap so we can spend all of our money on food. We have been planning this for a couple of months and have been acquiring things the entire time.

While there are some people at work who could be considered to be slightly crazy, myself included, none of us are insane enough to think that we can put on a formal holiday dinner for 60+ people at the last minute. Its T-minus 2 weeks and everything is ready.

Not to mention that we are decorating a VFW hall. If the decorations don't look as nice as we like, we can always adjust the lighting and then buy a drink at the bar and tell each other how amazing it looks. The food is going to be great and plentiful, which most people think is more important than the decorations anyhow.