Let the Christmas season begin!

Thanksgiving has come and gone, so it’s now officially Christmas season. Time to start dropping hints for that new elk rifle or compound bow if you have any hope of unwrapping it on Christmas morning.

Welcome to the Christmas season. You only have 25 days until Christmas to get your gifts for everyone on your list. Or 24. Or something like that. I’m a journalist, so math is not my strong suit.

The point is, if you don’t have all your gifts bought yet, you’re running out of time. If you haven’t been dropping good hints to your loved ones about what you want from them, you’re running out of time for that, too.

But they say it’s better to give than to receive. There’s definitely some truth to that. In that spirit, this year, I’m focusing more on giving the perfect gifts than leaving Cabela’s magazines open to pages with wall tents and tent stoves circled or “accidentally” sending posts about the Weatherby Mark V Backcountry TI chambered for 6.5 Creedmoor to my wife. None of that ever worked, anyway.

Instead, this year, I’m finding the perfect gifts for the rest of my family. For instance, my oldest son needs a good waterfowl hunting coat, so I found him a Sitka Delta Wading Jacket. I got it in XXL, so he can use it long into the future. Granted, he won’t be able to use it for a few years, so I’ll get it broken in for him until he grows into it.

My youngest son was given a nice Winchester Model 12 in 16 gauge earlier this year, and I was lucky enough to locate a 12-gauge Model 12 to help him complete his collection. But since the law says you have to be 18 to officially own a gun, I’ll hold onto that one for him for the next four years.

I’m betting my wife would like a nice GPS, too. I’m still trying to figure out whether she’d like the Oregon 750t or the Montana 680t better. Maybe I’ll get both and let her decide. I can always take the other one back … or forget to.

Happy shopping this Christmas season.