It’s A Mad House

We’re just today and tomorrow away from Christmas. As usual, I have not accomplished the task of purchasing gifts for my wife. She buys for everyone else, so all I have to do is come up with something really special for her. I’ve been out there looking around the past couple of days and all I have found is that it is a “mad house.” People are everywhere! Parking is non-existent in most places, lines at check-out are endless, and merchandise is skewed in every direction including lying on the floor.

I had decided to just shop on-line when I discovered that I can’t get anything here in time unless I use “overnight” delivery, and guess what? That costs more than the gift. I think I am “done for.” Which, I might add, will not surprise my wonderful bride.

Have you ever wondered why Christmas shopping is a “mad house?” I think there are a couple of reasons. First, we feel compelled to buy something for everyone we think we are “close” to. And while that is certainly an OK practice, I keep thinking that if we practiced being “close” to these folks all the time, we wouldn’t feel the need to try to impress them once a year with our generosity. The best gifts I get at Christmas time are those (usually simple and not especially expensive) that remind me of how much someone has cared throughout the rest of the year. For example, ask me about the gift I got yesterday from a “close” friend who saw me examining but not purchasing it at an Estate Sale several months ago.

Secondly, It’s a “mad house” out there because we are not always focusing on our llove for others during the other eleven months. My bride (a truly remarkable women) often says in February or May (pick a month), “Wouldn’t so and so be pleased with this next Christmas? Then she buys it, puts it away (and amazingly remembers where) and is not pressed at the last minute to “think of something,” or rush through the stores on Christmas Eve (like someone else I know).

Actually I guess those two things are just one thing. One thing of which I am sure. If you consider carefully all year those that you think haphazardly about at Christmas, you will have an easier time of it come December.