I enjoy shopping for Christmas gifts. I don’t buy gifts for everybody as I did in my youth. Oh sure, I definitely buy for my three kids but they are the only people definitely receiving gifts from me. I do have a list of people I enjoy being around and if I see what I consider a perfect gift for any of those people, I get it. I never tell any of those people that I have a gift for them because I don’t necessarily want a gift in return. I just love to find something I think those people will like.
For the kids, I go a little further because I know them better than other people. As the year proceeds, I hear them talk about things they wish they had or things that would be useful. As they mention these items, I add it to a shopping list for them. And I enjoy surprising them with items that they don’t even remember talking about. Not everything is a hit of course but they can tell I put some thought into it. The hardest part is trying to balance the number of gifts amongst them. Not all of them have yet outgrown counting the number of presents!
This is one of the few times of year I don’t mind being caught in traffic, waiting in line to pay or looking for parking. I love the lights, the music and the decorations. I love the clothes and the hair accessories and the colors. I especially love the sales! It feels like everybody is a little happier, a little more generous even in a year like this where so many people were negatively affected by job loss due to the coronavirus. My oldest daughter complains about having to shop for people, having to deal with the crowds and traffic. I think she would avoid Christmas altogether if she could. When she complains to me, I’ll confess I do not understand. She wants to be able to run into the store, see something and get it immediately. She doesn’t relish the hunt as I do. I never quite feel ready on Christmas Eve and I always, always end up shopping on that last day! There is just something to be said about the camaraderie of people looking for that final gift.
So enjoy the season and even if you can’t afford a store-bought gift, make/do something that your loved ones would consider special. My kids (especially my oldest daughter) think I have too much stuff so I also try to clear some things out. Not to the level that it needs to be done; can you say drop in the bucket? I don’t mind getting rid of things but I hate throwing away things that I think someone else could possibly use. And it is slow going bagging things for charity. But I do hope to make some headway into my massive clutter problem and even if all my other gifts are ‘misses’ rather than ‘hits’, I know clearing space will be a greatly appreciated effort by all……
I Was Just Saying 