December: Christmas Lists

It is the second day of December.  22 more shopping days till Christmas.   We have a skiff of snow..not enough to cover up the grass.  We have had some real frosty mornings.

Usually we have lots of snow by now..It is hard to get into the shopping mood without three feet of snow and the wind blowing and temperatures below zero.

So I am not in the shopping mood yet.  I am not sure when or if the mood will strike me..guess I will just wait around and see what happens.  I have 22 days..that is over three weeks!!  Certainly within the next three weeks I will be in the mood to shop for an hour or two.  Maybe.

I guess everyone has a list someplace on some web site..not sure how to find it..I suppose I should figure that out first. I was there once and couldn’t find anyone's “stuff.”

I never gave my Grandmother a list.  I usually got one gift from Grandma and Grandpa because I was their God Child ( they renounced the devil and all his wicked works and ways for me when I was an infant at my baptism.)  The other grandkids didn’t get anything.  They got a gift when they were born.

Sometimes I got a pair of flannel pajamas from them..warm and cozy for the long winter.  Or a hat and a scarf that matched..or mittens. When I got older, I got Corning Ware..and much later in life..Grandma would say, “Pick out a couple of my pretty dishes to take with you.”

My baby brother and I would mark up the Wish Book that came in the Fall.  We would circle all the treasures we wanted, and dream about what would be under the tree for us.  The Wish Book was good for many hours of entertainment.  We used to save them from one year to the next so we wouldn’t have to share the same book. I suppose the Wish Book was our way of making a list.  We may have made a list of the most important things we wanted and tucked it into the Wish Book.

I suppose Amazon or wherever those lists are must be the equivalent of a Wish Book..however sometimes I would just like to feel the paper between my fingers as I turn the pages.  Of course that makes me “Old Fashioned.”  Sometimes the Grands say  “Grandma, you just have to get with it.” :)

Christmas Exchanges

Do you participate in Cookie Exchanges?   I did years ago, I packaged up twelve dozen wonderful Mexican Wedding Cake Cookies.  I came home with broken cookies, burned  cookies, cookies my girls wouldn't eat. It was a  total waste of time.   One time was enough for me after that I would let the children chose one or two kinds of cookies that they liked and we would bake before Christmas.   Jen liked Rosettes so I bought an iron and made them a few years.  Trica liked Fudge and we invariably would try a recipe and it would turn out to be spoon fudge..which was acceptable to her.  They both liked Star Cookies a peanut butter cookie with a chocolate star on top. I always had to hide the chocolate stars in the deep freeze or they would be all gone when it was time to bake.    I have not baked any cookies this year..the girls will bring some of their baked treasures along..I heard that one of them made caramels, mints, and  Star Cookies, she is my over achiever.  Hopefully I will get some pumpkin bread made..the grands all love it.

Jen called one day last week..she said she was going to a cookie exchange.. I said "Great, I hope some of them are edible."  She said.."Well Mother, times have changed and the women that don't bake just get gourmet packaged cookies at ten dollars a dozen..they can afford to have someone bake for them."   I thought..what a waste..good for the cookie baker..but ten dollars a dozen??  I hope they were edible..and not burned or broken.

I participated in an exchange this year!  I signed up for an ornament exchange. I got two cute little ornaments from a gal in Florida..they look great on my tree!  I sent off one of my handmade loons and a tin spoon with a painted Santa on it that said "Ho. Ho Ho" down the handle.   I was pleased with this kind of exchange..it was a whole lot better than cookies.

Far Guy and I drug ourselves to a local shopping establishment last night armed with our "list".. we were confused.  Play Station Ones and Twos..DS... Wii..I pod.. all these thingys that we have absolutely no idea..what they do.  I approached one of the ASSistant Managers with my list, he said can't help you with your list..music isn't in our computer.. I asked him if the movies are?  "Yup" the ASSistant said.  I said "WELL could you look up -------?"  OK he could..but the phone rang..so he had to talk to his friend on the STORE phone while I waited.  ( Picture me standing by the counter, clicking my fingernails on the counter to the tune of some death march) Nope, no luck,  they did not have that movie.  Luckily we ran into a group of teenagers who knew where everything was..and then a store employee that actually knew something helped us to find almost everything on our list. I remembered to get gift receipts..because I am positive we messed up on something ..so exchanges will have to be made.  We headed home.. I have one final list..and IF I cannot find something..they are getting socks or mittens.  I have really had it with this shopping crap.  I don't like it, I hate that Christmas is a commercial holiday.  So far I have enjoyed this holiday..zero..and I am sure that when all the cooking starts next week I am really going to be happy..nothing like spending a day or two in the kitchen to perk me up.  

Far Guy is working on the Christmas Letter..the envelopes,  paper and stamps stand at the ready..I usually do them on a stormy day..haven't had one of those yet in December so the greetings remain undone.  I do have all that wrapping paper to use up..that part I don't hate..I find it rather freeing to slice into paper with a sharp instrument:)

Christmas Shopping

I dislike shopping. Shopping for Christmas gifts is not real high on my priority list. I believe it to be a myth perpetuated by shop keepers and ad agencies, we are all sucked into their shopping vortex. Some are sucked in so hard and trampled on by so many sometimes they die. Shopping can kill you.

Just because some wise men from the east brought some gifts to a special baby in a manger, does not mean we should be assaulted with Christmas Carols and Christmas Shopping way before Halloween. How and why did Christmas become something I believe it is not? Christmas has become a shopping nightmare. Some stores invite you to Christmas in July. That is just SICK. I would like to forget Christmas shopping all together. Does that mean I would forget Christmas? NO, I would just like it to mean something again, on a non shopping level. I yearn so for the simpler times...perhaps with the recession now a certainty (for the past year) and a depression on the horizon more people will "GET IT." Some will be forced too get it and realize a pair of socks under the tree or something homemade or handmade and from the heart is the real treasure, that and the Christmas Story read out loud from the Bible. ( end of sermon.)

I guess I should take a class in shopping, like remedial shopping, or maybe shopping for dummies. I am a female, shouldn't I have been born with some type of shopping gene? Or am I deficient in some type of hormone? What is wrong with me?

Believe you me, I have pondered this for years. If I could find all of the Christmas gifts I am required to purchase in a Bookstore, Antique Shop, Auction Sale or the local Thrift Shop or even a Garage Sale..I would be the best shopper around. When I realized this, I realized it is not me that has the problem..but the gifted, you know the people who get the gifts. The gift I choose that will say I love you, you are special misses something in translation. I am a failure, I always get the wrong gift in the wrong size, wrong kind, wrong color..wrong, wrong, wrong..like a big old buzzer going off in my head. Then one day I just said to myself "Self, this is madness, stop the shopping cart."I also told Far Guy if he wanted to shop he could, far be it from me to hold anyone back from shopping. I did assist him for a few years until he finally saw the light, and it was a blue light special.

CASH! In a Card! Low and behold, it might not always be the right size, but after Christmas you can buy twice as much with your cash. I do buy a few gift certificates at local restaurants. I do not purchase gift cards. I will shop for Far Guys gift online, I know exactly what I want him to want ..he has not mentioned it for years..but I just know if I can find it..he will declare me the best shopper ever! Chance will probably join right in, cause he is easily bought with a few yummy treats:)