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Getting in to the holiday spirit
Dec. 6th, 2010 07:38 amThe weather gods apparently shop at the Calendar Store, because as soon as we flipped the page to December, we've had cold weather and daily snowfall, a reminder that winter is here, even if it technically doesn't start for another two weeks. I'll be happy when the repairman arrives this morning to fix the garage door so I can start parking inside again.
Started the holiday season with my annual ritual by making charitable donations equal to what I plan to spend on holiday gifts. It's my way of dealing with the rampant commercialism of the season. This season's charities include the food bank and homeless shelter. Other charities get their money in the spring-- environmental groups, human rights organizations, libraries and schools, etc, but at this time of year I focus on the basic necessities of life.
I don't know if it's my New England upbringing or a wider culture issue, but it's interesting that I almost deleted the paragraph above. I'd have no problem blogging about how long I spent shopping for a video game for my nieces, but revealing that I think it's equally important to help out the local food bank seems like over-sharing, or even worse, boasting, that most un-New England of traits. Though surely anyone who knows me well knows that giving is as much a part of my nature as my fixation on robots and things that go boom!
I've started my holiday shopping--mostly over the internet, although I have visited a couple of stores in person. I continue to receive a 4-5 catalogs a day-- some of these companies have surely spent more on their mailings to me than I've ever spent with them. Ah well, I suppose hope springs eternal.
Meanwhile, back at the day job, another week of early morning starts and twelve-hour days. But hey, I still have a day job, so in that sense it's all good. Giant robots aren't cheap, you know, and if I'm ever going to have an army I'll need to start stocking up now.
Started the holiday season with my annual ritual by making charitable donations equal to what I plan to spend on holiday gifts. It's my way of dealing with the rampant commercialism of the season. This season's charities include the food bank and homeless shelter. Other charities get their money in the spring-- environmental groups, human rights organizations, libraries and schools, etc, but at this time of year I focus on the basic necessities of life.
I don't know if it's my New England upbringing or a wider culture issue, but it's interesting that I almost deleted the paragraph above. I'd have no problem blogging about how long I spent shopping for a video game for my nieces, but revealing that I think it's equally important to help out the local food bank seems like over-sharing, or even worse, boasting, that most un-New England of traits. Though surely anyone who knows me well knows that giving is as much a part of my nature as my fixation on robots and things that go boom!
I've started my holiday shopping--mostly over the internet, although I have visited a couple of stores in person. I continue to receive a 4-5 catalogs a day-- some of these companies have surely spent more on their mailings to me than I've ever spent with them. Ah well, I suppose hope springs eternal.
Meanwhile, back at the day job, another week of early morning starts and twelve-hour days. But hey, I still have a day job, so in that sense it's all good. Giant robots aren't cheap, you know, and if I'm ever going to have an army I'll need to start stocking up now.