Thursday, December 11, 2008

December meanderings



Mr. Fix it hates Christmas. Not the true reason for Christmas, but the retail-frenzied, Hallmark-driven Christmas that he claims is designed to send him out into public to deal with idiots at shopping malls, on the roads, in parking lots. Even online shopping makes him grumpy. And inevitably, I hear, "You're so hard to buy for."

I've tried to help him out. Last year, I sent him an e-mail with two links to items I'd appreciate if he were so inclined. All he had to do was click on the link and hit "buy me!" And the total cost was under $100.

This year, I ordered my own gift. He has to wrap it, though. And he can just put the $45 it cost in my stocking. Hah!

Seriously, I'm not hard to buy for (my brother makes this same claim). Maybe it's because I recognize that all this is just STUFF. Extraneous stuff that, to be sure, is nice, but in the grand scheme of things, does it matter? No. What matters is that I have the three most amazing gifts of all in my life, that my family is together, that we cherish the memories we have even as we make new ones.

And what I truly want for Christmas, and the coming year, are things money can't buy: Good health for those we love, especially my two aunts as they battle serious illnesses. That my mom continues to enjoy her jaunts to Vegas and beyond and still has many years of hugs from her granddaughters ahead of her. For my baby brother to be happy. That hubby and I can remain sane in our jobs -- and keep those jobs -- in what is a difficult time for so many workers, especially in our industry. And that our girls are healthy and secure in the knowledge that we love them truly, madly, deeply.

It's a lot to ask, and nothing that can be crossed off the list with a quick trip to the mall. Which, I guess, brings us back to the true meaning of Christmas, eh?

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