Christmas Gift Giving Cheer

I just heard that a fourth of you haven’t begun your shopping for Christmas yet. (Make that a fourth of us.)

Most of the people on my list fall into that category of people who have everything. Only something expensive or unique could be a good gift for them. Trouble is, you buy something expensive and they are pleased, but they then put it away and almost never use it. If they had needed it, they already have it, right?

Giving something unique, like a bound set of all your writing, or a piece of your art or music, is also an expensive gift, sort of. At least it is unique, right?

Kinkos or Staples is an excellent place to ‘make’ your gift if you are a writer, and if you are friends with the person who does the copying and wire binding behind the counter. I was lucky. I got my photocopies at a great discount just for giving him a set of my fiction.

Everyone on my short list this year is getting the same bound set of writing. Next year will have to worry about itself for what to give everyone for Christmas.

I know of one person who does it all differently. No one in his family or friends ever gets a gift from him. Instead, to honor the one who is supposed to be the centerpiece of this holiday, he distributes food and gifts to all the poor people and the homeless he can find on that day.

I envy him, and I am thinking this whole gift giving scene we all go through might be improved for us if we just had the courage to do what he is doing. Especially since we all are in that category of people who have everything already, right?

Peace, and Merry Christmas!

Roger