// The Art of Gift Giving + a $100 Opry Mills Giveaway

So I totally went Black Friday shopping this year. Not the "wake up at 2am so you can be in the door by 6am" kind of Black Friday shopping, but still totally the "battle crazy traffic and hoards of people" kind. It was the first time I had gone shopping on that day in like... 10 years or more. And you know what? It was fun! I even had Mike and both boys with me... Haha I had a few errands I needed to run in Nashville anyway, so we decided to spend a few hours at Opry Mills on the busiest day of the year because the sales were calling my name. I partnered up with Opry Mills to do a blog post on gift giving, so I wanted to stretch my gift card as far as possible and this seemed like the time to do it! (Seriously, everything pictured below was at least 50% off. WIN!) Anyway, I managed to knock 5 people off my list during Black Friday, and below is what I scored. (Warning: If you're a family member, please skip this post! Or you know, ruin the surprise of your gift. No, but really. Don't.)

Up first is Toby! He was with us, so it might seem like the magic of the surprise is gone, but we let him pick out some pieces that he really wanted (and he's already forgotten about everything except his bear ha). He told us he wanted some new brown "dress" shoes since Mike had recently gotten some new ones. We picked up this pair at The Children's Place for all of $12! Then he saw the cardigan sweater at Old Navy and asked for it. He picked up a Linden-sized version and it took us until we got all the way home to realize it didn't match (That's why he asked to get it for Linden. He loves when they wear the same thing haha!) He had a couple of small Lego things that he had picked out, but I think they went in for an early wrapping haha. We also let him make his own bear at Build-A-Bear. He made a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle bear, complete with the theme song and all. He asked to spend the last bit on making Linden a bear and y'all, I about lost it. It was SO sweet to see Toby be so thoughtful. If that kid loves anything, it's being a big brother, and that makes my heart sing!

Then I picked up a few cozy things for my mom. I thought she might like some warm loungewear from Old Navy. Everything was 50% off so I got her a pullover hoodie and some super soft lounge pants. I love the coral color of the hoodie so much. I also picked her up a coffee mug from Bass Pro Shop to keep in the RV when we go camping/on vacation.

Mike was up next! He was with me, but I already knew what I wanted to get him. A new clinical bag. He had been saying for a few weeks that he would like a bag separate from his class bag so he didn't have to pack and unpack all of his books for each clinical day. I took him over to Fossil to find something he liked and he picked out this messenger bag. I love the navy and brown together. It was originally $148 but was 50% off! And since he's sort of into my whole coffee mug collection, I bought him this fun moose mug of his own. It was from Bass Pro Shop, too. (I totally got one for me and my step dad also. Matching RV mugs!)

I bought this gorgeous chiffon dress and infinity scarf for my sister in law, Laine. I was so jealous of the dress after getting home, I made a note to check Old Navy next time we were at Opry Mills so I could get my own. (Spoiler: It was last Saturday and I totally nabbed one. Is it weird to match your SIL?!)

And finally, the littlest Flynn! I know Linden can't really "appreciate" Christmas/gifts yet, but I had to take advantage of the sales at the mall that day. The two on the left are from Baby Gap and the two on the right are from Old Navy. Itty bitty tiny clothes are just so precious! So really, it's more like these are gifts to myself. Can you blame me?!
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Overall I'm pretty stoked I was able to knock off so much of my shopping list in one day. I still have quite a few folks to buy for, but I'm working up the courage to face more of the holiday shoppers at the mall haha. I'm definitely going to be shopping for my step dad at Bass Pro Shop, and probably picking something up for my mother in law on the "fashion wing" of Opry Mills. Even though I risk sounding like a commercial, I'm just going to say it: Opry Mills has a crazy amount of stores, and they span every price point and "genre" you can think of. Legos, Disney, and a candy store for the kids. H&M, Forever 21, and Old Navy for the young adults. And Coach, Brooks Brothers, Ralph Lauren, etc. for the more upscale crowd. If it's Saturday, we're probably at Opry Mills haha! (Seriously though. It's a little alarming how often I find myself there...)
Now if you're local to middle Tennessee/Nashville/plan on visiting soon, check out the giveaway below. One of you will win a $100 Opry Mills giftcard to spend any way you choose!
To be entered to win, leave a comment below sharing who you'd spend the $100 on. Would you use it for some holiday shopping? Or would it be more of a "Treat yo'self!" splurge?
For additional entries, do as many of the following as you'd like. Just be sure to leave a separate comment for each! -- Like Opry Mills on Facebook // Follow Opry Mills on Twitter // Follow Opry Mills on Instagram
A winner will be drawn at random next week and contacted shortly thereafter. The winner must arrange for gift card pick-up at the Opry Mills mall! Good luck! xo
Congratulations Jana!