It's just that here's the thing about Christmas time. EVERYONE pretends to like it, but no one will 'fess up and say they're sick of it. Instead, they look aghast, cluck their tongues, and say "My, my. Some one doesn't have the Christmas spirit."
Who has time to have the Christmas Spirit? I have 2 school holiday parties, two end of semester conferences, 3 teacher gifts to contribute to, 1 work party, and friends and friends' kids gifts to buy. Plus, there is the issue of travel, AND I don't even give M or the kids any substantial presents at all. I haven't even begun to mention the presents for my family, which is a small family so I shouldn't even complain.
Christmas Spirit? Let's all wrap ourselves in Victorian stoles and stove pipe hats and go caroling. (Can you schedule that in?) How about going down to a soup kitchen to volunteer? (Time for that?) Maybe donating gifts for a charity? (When to shop?) How about writing (gasp) a letter to some one you haven't spoken to this year? (How about one of those cheezy mass mailings, instead? If we're lucky?)
My favorite development in the course of holiday gifting is the call-and-see-what-the-other-person-wants-or-already-has maneuver. We're all so stocked full of everything under the sun, that now we have to call ahead and check if it's ok if I buy the kids Veterinarian/Super Mom/Medical School Barbie (SHE can do it all, she's plastic!) or if the darlings already have 3. OR, I can call my sister and ask her what she wants. She'll always loves clothes, but is there something she needs MORE? Is there something she WANTS? (She's thinking on it and will call me back.) My mother has called me from Target, Toys R Us, Nordstrom, and Macy's this year. Don't get me wrong--I appreciate her effort to try to get a great gift--I absolutely love it when I get people great gifts. But, the whole gift quest thing is out of control.
We should just write checks, show them to each other and destroy them. Even up. Done and done.
