Yesterday, Brad and I went to The Mall(TM). I had a gift certificate to spend at Macy's, and he needed a cable at Radio Shack. (Seriously, can you think of a more stereotypical reason for a married couple to go to the mall together?) And this is all I have to say about the Christmas lights and the giant tree: Jesus is one lucky dude. If we celebrated everyone's birthday two months in advance, I'd already be elbow-deep in vanilla sheet cake and have six shots of Captain Morgan on my bar tab.
But it worked, I guess, because it got me thinking about "the holidays" (but you're silly if you think I mean Thanksgiving) in early November. I am one of those people who's notoriously difficult to buy for. I'm at the point in my life where if I want something badly enough to withstand the guilt of depleting my checking account, I'll buy it myself. I don't spend a lot of "fun" money and I'm relatively practical about the money I do frivolously spend, so I feel like it's my right to purchase something I want when I want it. If I want a pair of earrings in August, I'm not going to wait four months to pull them out of a box wrapped in reindeer paper.
So when Brad asks me what I want, my first response is usually "nothing." And I'm not just just saying that because I don't know what I want. I know what I want, and I either a) have it already, or b) have deemed it way too expensive for me to own at this point in my life. While I have no problem accepting frivolous gifts from people, I do have a problem knowing those frivolous gifts came from the checking account that also pays my mortgage.
Last year, when Brad asked me what I wanted for Christmas, I told him I only wanted two things: a scale that measures body fat (I realize this is in no way normal) and a basic running watch. Together, those things cost about $50. Brad wanted an ipod nano, which was about $300. Well, I learned something about Christmas that year -- or at least Christmas the way his family celebrates it. First, you can't just buy someone ONE gift, even if that gift costs big bucks, because they run out of things to open before everyone else does. And second, you can't spend $50 on one spouse and $300 on the other. So he made up the difference by buying me a pair of very pretty diamond earrings. Which was a wonderful gift (I'm wearing them now, in fact), but somewhat unnecessary. Also, unlike my memories of Hanukkah, which involved getting one or two nice gifts from my parents, Christmas -- at least the way Brad's family celebrates it -- involves buying gifts for brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins, neighbors, co-workers, friends, the mailman, every member of your church, and the lady that scans your groceries in the supermarket check-out line. No wonder people can't pay off their credit cards in January!
I'm not trying to be a scrooge, but seriously...between the Christmas decorations in bikini weather, the need to outspend your relatives, and the search for a trinket for your local bank teller, aren't we all just going a little Christmas-overboard these days?
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3 comments:
It's my one major criticism of people who celebrate Christmas-- the overspending. Living in Miami, most of my past boyfriends have been Cuban, and those families are crazy with the gifts!
Yes, the overspending and the marketing for the holidays gets out of control. My husband and I agree on a set limit and our gifts for each have to stay within that limit.
Of course, last year for our anniversary we said "no gifts" since we went on a cruise to celebrate. And what does he do? Buys me a Garmin while all I had for him was a card. Grrrrrr.
But I do love my Garmin.
After working at the mall for 3 holiday seasons and listening to the Christmas, I saw the ugly side of the holiday and vowed to stay far away. To me, Christmas is more about the love and family - more important than the gifts.
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