Holiday Carnival; T-6 weeks
Not that we’re all prepared for Thanksgiving in 10 days or anything, but I thought I would mention that Christmas is 6 weeks from today.
Rather than waste time in shock and surprise, I’m going to try to get organized. Why not come along for the ride?
This week the goal is to set a gift budget and start the list.
Sometimes the hardest part of that process for me is not the budget setting, since more often than not the budget is minimal. The hard part is thinking of things that people might like. And then I get all wrapped up into that materialism conundrum. Do I really show my love to people buying them stuff? Stuff they really don’t need? Do I expect people to show me their love by buying me stuff? I already have too much crap in this house. What do I need with more?
But just because I’d rather have something a bit more ephemeral I know that the people I’m related to don’t buy into that line of reasoning. For my mom, Christmas isn’t Christmas unless it takes two or more hours to open presents. (We also have a “rule” that one person opens at a time and everyone watches. With 7 or 13 people sitting around the living room…all getting way too many presents…it takes a while. She likes that. Makes it feel substantial for her.) It would be a serious breach of etiquette to give her a Heifer Project gift certificate.
So how about a little blog-o-rama fun?
Over the next week, write a post about the best non-commercial holiday gift you have received. Or, if you’re a dyed-in-the-wool commercialized holiday junkie, write a post about the biggest over-the-top best holiday gift you have received.
The platitude is that it’s better to give than to receive. But that’s a fairly mature point of view. We all know that as a kid, it’s always better to receive than give. And inside all of us “grown-ups” is a little kid.
Let’s focus this week on what made the gift receiving fabulous. Send me an email with the permalink of your post by 6:00 p.m. CST Monday, Nov 19 and I’ll post a little carnival here next Tuesday. (send your email to not.fainthearted at gmail dot com.)
Check back next Tuesday for what I bet will be some great inspirational stories (not to mention some great ideas for getting off the commercialism band-wagon.)
Won’t this be fun??
— — —
A year ago (or longer) on This Journey…
November 13th, 2007 at 11:48 am
Even though I’ve gotten a very small jump on Christmas shopping…I am so not in the Thanksgiving, Christmas mood right now.
As a matter of fact, I’m seriously considering blowing off the whole Thanksgiving think and stay home.
November 13th, 2007 at 3:07 pm
Oh yeah, Christmas. I don’t buy for adults. Just minors. In my family we all realized we were all just exchanging the same $20 gift card and did away with adult present buying.
November 15th, 2007 at 7:48 am
OH! My aunt loves to give Heifer, Habitat for Humanity etc and I applaud her — especially as we all have too much stuff. But, gads, you should have heard my mother and sister. So the thought crossed my mind this year — build up the war chests of some of the environmental groups — but I know there will be remarks if I dare.
Oh, and I am blowing off Thanksgiving — despite repeated entreaties from the family. HA!