Monday, December 26, 2005

Xmas Wrap-up

Or perhaps it should be called Xmas Un-Wrap-up!
When I was a kid, I remember a Xmas or two when all of us who were spending the night at my grandmother's house did a late night show and tell after everyone else had left. We would take turns showing each other what presents we had received and all the adults would make a big joke of how jealous they were of each other's presents, or pretend they wanted to swap something really boring for the kids' new toys. Maybe you had to be there, but I remember it being a lot of fun, so today I resurrect the tradition in a pale online imitation.

What I Got for Xmas:
$225 in cash
$25 Best Buy gift card
$25 TJ Maxx gift card
A decorative scented oil diffuser thingie
A decorative candle
A book I got through my job for free already (this happens to me EVERY Xmas and birthday)
A book that will tell me how to make holiday foods and crafts in the unlikely event that I ever have a brain transplant and decide to start doing such things.
2 nice shirts from Banana Republic
A fleece top that will come in handy around the house but not to be seen in public
A CD (obscure classical music from my dad)
A necklace I'll never wear
A fuzzy scarf that I maybe might wear but will probably sit in my drawer for a few years until I give it to the Salvation Army
A desk calendar which I fear will become an annual tradition despite my occasional pointed references to how I haven't used a paper calendar in the 7 years since I got a Palm Pilot
A ruler with paintings on it

Now I am probably sounding all Scrooge-like and unappreciative, but that isn't really it. I have a big family and a lot of people like to give each other little things-- it's nice to open gifts and know that people thought of you, regardless of what the gift is. But sometimes it just seems so wasteful. The fun thing about Xmas is to get together with family and watch the little kids enjoy their presents, and I wouldn't mind if the adults didn't exchange presents at all. The only thing I kind of wished for that I didn't get was some framed photos of my niece and nephew, which was what my sister gave to some other people. I mean, hey, is the #1 auntie chopped liver or something?!? But she gave me the 2 shirts, which are great, so I will not complain.

Completely unrelated to Xmas, today I received a minor windfall that should save me a lot of money. A set of silver ware, table linens, a lot of towels, some pots and pans, mixing bowls and kitchen utensils, and a really nice mattress and box spring, all nearly new. I'll have to store everything until I move and then I'll have to figure out how to get it all to NYC, but it will be nice to have all this stuff for my new apartment. At one point today, I had this odd feeling that it was as close as I'll ever come to getting an entire registry list worth of wedding presents. Unfortunately, there is a cloud to which this silver lining belongs... it's a long story that I'll try to post soon.

1 comment:

Single Ma said...

Hi

I tend to browse your blog quite often, but I just had to leave a comment today. This post has got to be the funniest and most realistic I've seen.

The game you described (while it seems to be one of those "you just had to be there" moments) sounds kinda fun. I'm one who prefers to give than to receive but when I do receive, I'm truly appreciative. However, I'd rather get nothing at all than to get something I don't want or will never use. Not only is it wasteful to the spender, but I'm also a pack rat, so it just gives me more junk to cling to.

Some of the useless things I received are:
*A desk calendar (365 things to be happy about...I wonder if there was a hidden message here)
*A hat (it's organge, blue, and yellow...yep, I have the perfect outfit to wear with that)
*A coffee pot (I don't drink coffee...I guess this was an attempt at an early housewarming gift)
*Slippers (they're too small...I thought they came in one size fit all. I assume my cousin must have purchased these from the kiddie section when she bought her daughter the EXACT same pair)
-and last but not least
*The game Connect Four (didn't this game play out in the 80s and why on earth would one even consider buying this for a 30 year old unless it was specifically requested)

On the brighter side, I did receive some awesome gifts as well. I love Christmas, but I'm ashamed to admit that I'm glad it's over.