Christmas, the holidays, gifts and giving
Nov. 14th, 2002 02:55 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
arachne8xOk I know its a bit early for this but other people inspired me to ignore the following if you want:
Thanksgiving is coming up. Then there is my birthday and then Christmas. There are other occaisions that I will miss celebrating, like my grandparents anniversary and my Nana's birthday. They are gone now.
But at least I have these three things left.
I know a lot of people that dislike the holidays. My bf for example doesn't like them. While I am an original Christmas Caroler.
Part of the problem is that we expect too much from these days. We expect them to be able to defy the malaise that the rest of the year has draped over it.
Were holidays ideal at my house? No. Mom always tried to make them great but they were generally just ok. I have a small extended family and most of it lived across the seas. At age 7 my grandparents moved to AZ and we didn't manage to make many holidays with them. And really there is no way to keep the fighting that was so common in my house at bay for the holidays.
I guess what makes this time special for me was that it was a time when we _had_ to do things together. Thanksgiving for example was a time when I had to help Mom cook. Usually it was just her, Dad, me and one of Dad's friends. As the years went by this extended to include some of my friends in college and other people sometimes. This year I am not even going home. Why? Well its a 4.5 hour flight home for starters. By the time you figure the time it takes to get the airport etc most of my visit is caught up in travels. And its exhausting to try to visit my family and friends as much as they want me to. So I decided to stay here this year. I am really looking forward to it however. I am going to make my special yams and stuffing. Hopefully it will be a good chance to spend some time with friends.
My birthday is also always a little ruined by the fact that its always during finals. Its often forgotten or delayed. But I guess thats ok because to me its during a special time of the year.
I love giving gifts and maybe that's why even though I have been disappointed by Xmas before and this year will likely be that way too I am excited. I love finding the perfect present or even making it. It doesn't matter what I get either as long as I know someone put some thought into it.
My favorite gifts of all time:
- the empty box my parents gave me with the promise to buy all the books I could fit in it at once
- the corset my mom put under the tree as I suppose an apology for getting in a fight with me during thanksgiving and threatening not to let me go back to school because she was afraid of the cam games I was in
- the banana shampoo and conditioner that my roommate got me because she knew that I couldn't afford to buy body shop stuff like that
And I like to give a good gift. I like to give someone something I know will really make them happy.
The best things I have gotten people include:
- tickets to see Annie get your gun for me and my dad (he is a musical buff)
- the t-shirt I had made for my bf this year
- the year I made my mother an easter basket for the first time (she was always the bunny for us)
I know this is a lot about gifts, but that is because gifts like these are a kindness, a service I can do for someone I care about. In the end most of the people I know can afford anything they really want, and do buy it, so for me its always a struggle to find something really special.
My hope is that at some point I have done something for each of my friends that has touched them. Whether it be at the holidays or not. And whether it be a present or not. But I guess the holidays are for me a time when I try to do those things. And I will always love them for reminding me that this is a time to try to give something.
This year I will probably be doing Christmas in the City the day before my birthday. I am pretty excited about it. I am working on making a tree at my PT place to put the kids names on. I am so glad to be able to be a part of this. And if you want to come help me with the tree let me know. I am making it out of wrapping paper.
If there is one thing I want to do this year its have a really good time with my SO in our trip before Xmas. It'd be real nice if this could become a really good holiday memory for both of us.
Thanksgiving is coming up. Then there is my birthday and then Christmas. There are other occaisions that I will miss celebrating, like my grandparents anniversary and my Nana's birthday. They are gone now.
But at least I have these three things left.
I know a lot of people that dislike the holidays. My bf for example doesn't like them. While I am an original Christmas Caroler.
Part of the problem is that we expect too much from these days. We expect them to be able to defy the malaise that the rest of the year has draped over it.
Were holidays ideal at my house? No. Mom always tried to make them great but they were generally just ok. I have a small extended family and most of it lived across the seas. At age 7 my grandparents moved to AZ and we didn't manage to make many holidays with them. And really there is no way to keep the fighting that was so common in my house at bay for the holidays.
I guess what makes this time special for me was that it was a time when we _had_ to do things together. Thanksgiving for example was a time when I had to help Mom cook. Usually it was just her, Dad, me and one of Dad's friends. As the years went by this extended to include some of my friends in college and other people sometimes. This year I am not even going home. Why? Well its a 4.5 hour flight home for starters. By the time you figure the time it takes to get the airport etc most of my visit is caught up in travels. And its exhausting to try to visit my family and friends as much as they want me to. So I decided to stay here this year. I am really looking forward to it however. I am going to make my special yams and stuffing. Hopefully it will be a good chance to spend some time with friends.
My birthday is also always a little ruined by the fact that its always during finals. Its often forgotten or delayed. But I guess thats ok because to me its during a special time of the year.
I love giving gifts and maybe that's why even though I have been disappointed by Xmas before and this year will likely be that way too I am excited. I love finding the perfect present or even making it. It doesn't matter what I get either as long as I know someone put some thought into it.
My favorite gifts of all time:
- the empty box my parents gave me with the promise to buy all the books I could fit in it at once
- the corset my mom put under the tree as I suppose an apology for getting in a fight with me during thanksgiving and threatening not to let me go back to school because she was afraid of the cam games I was in
- the banana shampoo and conditioner that my roommate got me because she knew that I couldn't afford to buy body shop stuff like that
And I like to give a good gift. I like to give someone something I know will really make them happy.
The best things I have gotten people include:
- tickets to see Annie get your gun for me and my dad (he is a musical buff)
- the t-shirt I had made for my bf this year
- the year I made my mother an easter basket for the first time (she was always the bunny for us)
I know this is a lot about gifts, but that is because gifts like these are a kindness, a service I can do for someone I care about. In the end most of the people I know can afford anything they really want, and do buy it, so for me its always a struggle to find something really special.
My hope is that at some point I have done something for each of my friends that has touched them. Whether it be at the holidays or not. And whether it be a present or not. But I guess the holidays are for me a time when I try to do those things. And I will always love them for reminding me that this is a time to try to give something.
This year I will probably be doing Christmas in the City the day before my birthday. I am pretty excited about it. I am working on making a tree at my PT place to put the kids names on. I am so glad to be able to be a part of this. And if you want to come help me with the tree let me know. I am making it out of wrapping paper.
If there is one thing I want to do this year its have a really good time with my SO in our trip before Xmas. It'd be real nice if this could become a really good holiday memory for both of us.
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!
Date: 2002-11-14 12:31 pm (UTC)Dood. That fucking 0wns.
=D
yeah you dont know the half of it
Date: 2002-11-14 12:37 pm (UTC)