With a mere month until the holiday frenzy comes to a climax, I’m once again struggling with the convergence of the delicacy of all those social obligations that tag alongside: parties, gifts, food, et cetera. Couple those concerns with a looming global recession, a (personally) exhausting pair of months, and the general fatigue that follows the inevitable holiday war-of-spirits and I’m looking forward to January first when I can put my mind back to the business of regular living. In the meanwhile, let the lamenting begin. Parties. Love them or hate them, between work (uh), friends (woot), and family (hmmm) gatherings of all shapes and sizes, I think the tally is mounting past a number I can count with my digits. It is not the [...]
Karin and I spent the previous evening in the mall with a semi-automatic laser scanner preparing (upon demand) one of those dreaded-of-things, a baby gift registry. Of course, no one is expected to buy anything. But you know how this works: people tend to do that sort of thing whether we insist against it or not, and it’s probably better that they not waste their time and money on stuff we don’t need or already own. I feel bad enough posting a link here, seemingly endorsing the whole episode, but some have requested it — and that is all that will be said about that… Of course, as you are scrolling through this list you may stumble across an odd sort of entry that is [...]
December 19 [Climbing up on soapbox.] Ahem. Excuse me, dear readers, but I just need to say something. I hate feeling like the Grinch this time of year when I refuse to participate in more than a couple random gift-buys. You know the kind: everyone sits in a circle begging, bartering, and stealing twenty-dollar objects that were not bought “specifically” for them, but they end up with anyhow. The kind where the whole extended family, office, club, team, group, or random collection of party-goers participates. The kind where you spend either WAY too much time and effort to find something or WAY too little time and effort. Everyone gets something they don’t need and lots of us spend the drive home vowing to never participate [...]
I hate doing this, but everyone wants to know what I want for christmas. I don’t want anything: buy youself some natural gas and enjoy a warm house — on me! Stuff that money away into your new-car fund, or make an extra payment on your mortgage. I don’t need much or anything. We’re doing okay. We’ll get by. But for those of you who insist on propogating the Santa mythos, here are a few things that wouldn’t be a complete waste of your shopping time and money: this super-practical listbot-o-matic
I seem to remember Jess (shameless plug) mentioning a few days back how much she hated going to the mall to buy Christmas presents. While doing that exact thing this weekend — although managing to completely avoid mallness of any kind — it occurred to me just how silly this whole gift exchange thing is. I figure you can look at it in three very different ways. 1 :: the nice way in which people from around the world in an expression of unrelenting friendship spend many unforgiving hours and hard-earned dollars to buy those special someones a gift that they will cherish forever and ever and ever. 2 :: the permission way when that season of unrelenting giving appears and we all feel as [...]
