The holidays are coming. Yipee! The older I get the "scroogier" I become. It's just a horrible time to be a woman. Somehow it is upon women's shoulders to provide everyone with loving feelings, wonderful gifts, delicious food, and happy memories. It sucks.
I love some parts of the celebration. I like decorating the house. I have trees in all rooms of the house and every year one of them gets a new theme. This year the one in our bedroom will be French with Eiffel Towers, toile, maribou and fleur di lis. I've got the supplies to start making ornaments and have it all planned, but I don't know when I'll get to it. I like to make candies. I'm the only person in my family who still makes my grandmother's divinity, pralines, and fudge. It's important to me.
I like giving gifts to those I love, but I hate the shopping and I think it's wrong when someone hands you a list and tells you where to get the desired items or requests cash so they can get whatever they want. And I especially resent obligatory gifts. You know, gifts for people you know nothing about and care even less for. What is the spirit of that? And then there are the gifts for family members. Not your immediate family, not the ones you wish you could give more to, but the family you never see, usually not even at Christmas. Thanksgiving rolls around and you get a call telling you what to get their child and they ask what to purchase for your kiddo. If you're lucky you can order it online and have shipped directly to them. This way there is absolutely nothing personal about the transaction. That's just WRONG!
Don't get the idea I'm cheap or uncaring. I don't want to receive any obligatory gifts either. A gift is supposed to represent feeling. Hopefully a warm one. I could go on and on, but not today. I will finish by saying that I will no longer be the enforcer of all this madness. If you don't want to call your sister, don't! If the scout leader, dance instructor, or SS teacher is an ass, I will not suggest a gift be given.
This year I may make candy, enjoy my pretty trees, be with the people I truly love and the rest of it can be damned.
Posted by Rockelle at November 17, 2003 12:25 PMAdopt me, please?
Posted by: Texas T-Bone on November 18, 2003 06:04 PM