Ideally, I would like to say all of my meaningful, thoughtful presents are bought, the lights are hung and the baby Jesus figurine is always in its rightful location in the miniature Nativity scene in the living room.

Realistically, I have randomly bought some presents, the lights are still sitting in their storage box on the front porch and baby Jesus makes an appearance for a few hours before disappearing for days at a time.

Of course, if the shopping was left to my husband, the presents wouldn't be purchased until the week before Christmas, the decorations would be limited to a red and green light bulbs in the porch lights and the nativity scene would stay out all year long. (While nice in theory, continuous display would mean the wise men would make an appearance as often as the baby Jesus.)

Actually, my husband has purchased several gifts for his siblings. But this is where our differences about gift-giving have emerged.

When I asked my husband how he was going to package the present, all I received was a blank stare. I realized he was just going to give them the item. No additional thoughts about the present or the presentation were needed. I'm fairly certain that wrapping paper or bows were not even considered.

On the other hand, I was already considering how the item would be displayed in a pretty basket. I was still contemplating what additional gifts would complement the item. I was still considering the accessories for the item as well as trinkets for the rest of the family.

Obviously, we are on different pages when it comes to gift giving.

But a difference of opinion on gifts is not just limited to how the gift is presented.

Every year, I wrestle with the idea of buying one large gift for my children instead of a bunch of little trinkets since I'm the one who will be picking up Barbie arms and Lego blocks the remainder of the year. Or maybe a family trip would be a nice gift instead of numerous presents that no one remembers by Valentine's Day.

But when children are younger, Christmas morning includes finding piles of presents under the tree and tearing through reams of wrapping paper. It doesn't involve an explanation about why there is nothing under the tree because "we're having a family gift this year."

Even if it's a gift that can be unwrapped on Christmas morning, siblings still may have a hard time sharing a Christmas present.

Let's assume you temporarily lose your sanity and purchase a drum set for your children to share. You would like to imagine the brother and sister sitting side-by-side, "quietly" enjoying their new percussion instruments.

The tranquility will last only so long before one sibling either grows irritated and causes a large disturbance or grows bored and leaves the situation.

Soon enough, the drum set is abandoned and is serving as a clothes rack.

Some parents go to the extreme when it comes to shared gifts for their kids.

My roommate in college was given a SUV for Christmas by her parents. The lone condition: It was also a gift for her brother. On Christmas morning, there was nothing but smiles and laughter as the brother and sister agreed that they would share the vehicle joyfully and equally.

That ideal situation lasted approximately two days.

Soon, they were fighting over who drove the vehicle more, bickering over who used up all the gas, arguing over who broke out the back window.

(Technically, my roommate and I were in the vehicle when the window cracked, but it didn't shatter out until my roommate's brother was at the wheel, so the responsibility was disputable.)

Eventually, the only reasonable solution was presented to the siblings: The vehicle was taken away and neither one had transportation for the remainder of the school year. And they never shared a present again.

-- Ronda Graff hopes to have her shopping done by early this year, perhaps by 4 p.m. on Christmas eve rather than 5 p.m.