It is better to give than it is to receive. Yes, yes this is true. But it is definitely easier to RECEIVE than it is to GIVE. Especially when your family won’t tell you what they want and it’s only … holy cow juice! … like a week until Christmas!
Forget giving, I’ve got to start BUYING!
But I’m stumped this year. It’s always hard, but it seems this year it’s been especially difficult to come up with ideas. Or pry ideas out of people. That includes my daughter, who turns 11 the day after Christmas. Maybe it’s a tough age — an age when toys of yesteryear don’t quite cut it. Instead, electronics and other big ticket items are more important.
Conversations in my house sound like this now:
Me: Child, why is your homework all over my desk?!?
Child: Because I needed the computer for it AND I don’t have a computer OF MY OWN in my room … hint, hint, hint …
Me: YOU’RE NOT GETTING A COMPUTER FOR CHRISTMAS!!! AND YOU’RE NEVER ALLOWED TO DATE BOYS!!!
That’s the Christmas spirit!
So I’ve started looking for unconventional ideas in unusual places. A newspaper ad I saw said: “This holiday, make memories that last a lifetime. And plans that last even longer.” It was from a financial services company. What?!? I guess a bond or some life insurance under the tree is the way to go?
I’ve gone to Amazon.com and started typing in random searches like “best holiday gifts” and “Doomed, desperate dad needs gifts!!!” (No kidding: When I typed “best holiday gifts” in Amazon, the number one item was “The new 2016 Hillary Nutcracker with Stainless Steel Thighs” for $29.95. I am not making this up!)
For Christmas, my mother has called me several times to tell me she doesn’t want anything. Instead of presents, she wants the gift of manual labor from my brother and me to work in her yard. This worries me. She hasn’t specified exactly what she needs us to do. And when my mother does yard projects, it’s never as simple as mowing the grass or planting petunias. No, she’s much more involved, and it ends up rivaling government work projects.
Hurricane Matthew flooded her yard, destroyed her AC and nearly seeped into the house, so it’s more likely to be something substantial. Like moving a full-grown pecan tree to higher ground. Or digging a trench to divert future floods … to Miami. Or raising the house by 2 feet using only the scraps of wood in the garage. Is it appropriate to ask for some kind of contract or stipulations before agreeing? Should I speak with legal counsel?
Truth is, when you have a family that’s more about giving than receiving, you have one thing going for you: They’re all in the same boat! Short on ideas and just as likely to offer a hug on Christmas morning to make up for it. And that’s a gift that is way better to receive.