In the spirit of giving and not receiving–sort of–the husband and I decided this year we would not spent the money buying gifts for ourselves, each other, or nearly anyone else.
Reasons:
- The holiday shopping season is out of control. We want no part of it.
- We all have way too much. We are blessed, certainly, but still have too much.
- A lack of appreciation for past gifts.
Instead, we continued our holiday tradition of buying gifts for children in need. In the past, we have selected children from the Salvation Army Angel Tree. This year, we had two children selected for us as part of the Winter Wishes program organized by New York Cares. Two-year-old Chrystal asked for books; eight-year-old Destiny asked for a Baby Alive doll. They both got their wishes and a little more, too. And because there was a deadline for mailing, our Christmas shopping for these girls was finished by December 1.
We also felt humbled to be able to send money to Ghana for the second year in a row, where a little boy named Emmanuel will receive a Christmas gift he otherwise wouldn’t get.
I don’t miss the hustle and bustle or the frenzied shopping or the dwindling bank account of years past. It’s so nice to know that our holiday will be merry without all of that. Happy holidays!