Gift Giving

I have to post this to make Chris laugh and make others smile ...

So what does it mean when you get to the point where you don't buy Christmas/Holiday gifts for each other anymore?

Our first years, gifts were whatever we could scrape up the money to buy- usually clothes, lingerie (newleyweds!) or dinner with theater tickets. Once we bought our first house and were just starting out, every holiday gift was something big for our house- large appliance, new tool, flooring, etc.

This year we'll be together for only a few days, and usually we try to talk about gift arrangements ahead of time.

"I'm going to buy 2 pairs of tactical boots, so do you just want to buy whatever you want for Christmas?" Okay, maybe it wasn't just like that :)

Romance at it's finest! (I jest!)

I laugh, because I know we can be romantic when we want to, but we've also grown comfortable enough to do this kind of thing without drama. Actually, I love that it's this way.

Today I sent him a text: "Thanks Santa, last night I ordered perfume, 2 scarves, Merrell sandals and Seven Years in Tibet for Xmas."

The return text: "And ur giving me crap about a tax deductible holster." Oh, this is another gift Chris picked out to add to the tactical boots. I took it with a smile!

My reply: "My gifts were to look and smell pretty for you!" Hee hee hee. True, but a bit of an stretch.

As we age and get more financially stable, not using the calculator at the grocery store or taking your laundry change into the bank weekly, gifting is not the event it once was. I remember at 8 years old trying to allocate my Christmas money to stretch to each family member, and it was a pretty big family. It envoked so much pride to neatly wrap each present and have the few minutes of anticipation until each loved one opened your gift. I think I gave my brother-in-law John a duck calendar or warm socks every year until I was 18, but he smiled and thanked me just the same. Gifts were a big joy to give as much as receive. It makes me a bit sad that we've gotten away from that. Here's hoping a little one around our house will reignite those traditions.

And I like that Chris's sweet gestures for me happen at the unexpected times. Like when we went to K'auai this summer and the night before we flew out of AZ he handed me a gift. He said I was supposed to open it before we flew out the next morning. The box held a large blue opal pendant, in various hughes of turquoise like the reefs I love. When he saw it, at my favorite local store Beyond Timbuktu, he said it reminded him of the ocean from the air. That was enough romance to give him a voucher for a few years, A+++.

Happy Holiday shopping everyone! Even though it can seem daunting, take a minute to remember what it meant to you when you were young. Maybe write your special someone a note. I know this blog says things to loved ones that I don't always take the time to say when they are in front of me. Try to make time to bake cookies, cut paper snowflakes, cozy up by the fire with some old movies and enjoy the season. Or create a new family tradition! No matter your religion, whether your near family or away or maybe it's the end of a
tough year - ENJOY THIS TIME! And enjoy the spirit in the air, observe the generosity and good will around you. It's out there.... you may just need to slow down long enough to see it :)