I actually enjoy Christmas shopping until I get down to the last two or three gifts. They are the last because the thought of what might please the receivers isn’t as obvious as for the rest. Sometimes it is because the receivers have everything or I don’t really know what their interests are. In my case, when children turn into teens gifting gets really difficult. As a rule, teen gifts are far more expensive than for smaller children. With 23 grandkids and 3 greatgrandchildren, we have a budget for each.
It has been my practice over the years to buy books for everyone. As with any choice of gifts, picking books was easy for most but there were always the last few. And again, more difficult for the teens. I gave books because I like to read and I believe in reading as a vital life skill. For me books nourish not just my mind but my spirit. When I give a gift of a book, I am hoping to nourish the mind and spirit of the receiver. Unfortunately, I rarely know if the book I give achieves that end. It is an act of faith. But I guess that is true of any gift. Unless someone tells you, one never knows if a gift was useful or not. A thankyou is nice, but when you know a gift really met a need or lifted a spirit…that is the highest form of gratitude, in my mind.
I am just mind-meandering today. I am going to St. Cloud today hoping to find the last to gifts that I need to buy. I don’t look forward to it. If I fail to find something satisfactory, I might just have a breakdown in the middle of the store. That and technology are the two things that can unglue this usually together old person.