Not a lot of Shopping

Warning: If you love Christmas shopping, you might want to skip this post.

We used to buy a lot of presents -- not just for our immediate family, but for our extended family as well. We used to receive a lot of presents, too. And then the tension within me would build. What was I going to do with yet another thingamajig? Where would I put that thingamajig? And what thingamajig was I going to get Aunt Berta? And how much of this would eventually end up in landfill? The whole thing stressed me out and made me feel a little irresponsible. It took some time, but by small increments (beginning with drawing names), our extended families agreed to dispense with gift-giving, and settle instead for trying to find joy in each other's company. Grandparents have been given an exemption -- we call it the spoil clause: they are permitted to buy a gift or two for the grandchildren while the rest of us are content to watch them open them. So, did we pull it off? Did the kids buy in? Did our scaled-down Christmas work? Would you believe me if I said it did (don't worry, I was just as surprised as I imagine you are)?

And now -- I am only responsible for buying a few small items that will fit into my son's and husband's stockings. I will likely slip one small gift into the stocking of my nieces and nephews -- because I want to. At our house, stocking gifts are generally consumable (they can't be around next year) or so well-made, they'll last forever. Because I enjoy making things, some of my gifts will be handmade. So, you probably won't see me at the mall this year, and I can feel the joy rising within me already.