Holiday time is a frantic, overproduced, volatile, mess of a time where everyone is buying things that no one needs for people that they rarely talk to the rest of the year...
Ok, maybe the blanket statement is a bit over the top, but still. A lot of it holds true.
I have to go next week to buy a present for my father. I don't talk to my father unless I have to. I don't like him much and he doesn't understand me. His wife doesn't like me at all, and I think she's the one the book Stepford Wives was based upon. I don't want to buy presents for either because they don't actually need anything other than to have their medical bills paid off and I couldn't put a dent in that. I don't know them well enough to know what they want, and I really have no desire to get to know them better.
They ask me every year what I want for Christmas, and for some reason never understand that NO REALLY... I JUST want the money. I can get more use out of the cash than I can out of some present that my step mother picks out that doesn't suit my personality, or taste for that matter.
/sigh I love to go Christmas shopping... but I love it for people who matter to me... People who appreciate that I actually put thought into it. Even if I just get a gift certificate for someone... I've thought about where I'm getting the certificate, and have a reason that they don't get things... Some people DO just get money, but sometimes, that's what you need.
I had to explain the reasoning behind using gift money for bills, and other necessities recently. I think the best explanation I was able to succinctly make is this: What good is it to have what you want when you don't have what you need? Maybe some people don't see it this way, but I do. I've always had money trouble, and Christmas is a nice time of year when people give me money and it helps with getting myself out of the ruts that have accumulated over the year... thus, it gives me peace of mind, which is something I very much want... SO, that $50 that goes to pay off my utility bill, or to buy a new tire for my car, or to buy gas for the next two weeks... Yes, that's what I want. I want to not worry about whether or not I have groceries, or gas, or utilities, or rent or all those things that are necessary for living. I want to take an afternoon off and not feel guilty because I don't have the money for that. I feel a little strongly about it. I think if you are going to give someone money for something, you shouldn't dictate how they spend it. It's a gift. If you wanted to get me a "thing" you should have gotten a "thing." But you know... I really don't need "things."
Just keep that in mind if you give out cash for the holidays... sometimes what someone wants most is to not need...
Ok, maybe the blanket statement is a bit over the top, but still. A lot of it holds true.
I have to go next week to buy a present for my father. I don't talk to my father unless I have to. I don't like him much and he doesn't understand me. His wife doesn't like me at all, and I think she's the one the book Stepford Wives was based upon. I don't want to buy presents for either because they don't actually need anything other than to have their medical bills paid off and I couldn't put a dent in that. I don't know them well enough to know what they want, and I really have no desire to get to know them better.
They ask me every year what I want for Christmas, and for some reason never understand that NO REALLY... I JUST want the money. I can get more use out of the cash than I can out of some present that my step mother picks out that doesn't suit my personality, or taste for that matter.
/sigh I love to go Christmas shopping... but I love it for people who matter to me... People who appreciate that I actually put thought into it. Even if I just get a gift certificate for someone... I've thought about where I'm getting the certificate, and have a reason that they don't get things... Some people DO just get money, but sometimes, that's what you need.
I had to explain the reasoning behind using gift money for bills, and other necessities recently. I think the best explanation I was able to succinctly make is this: What good is it to have what you want when you don't have what you need? Maybe some people don't see it this way, but I do. I've always had money trouble, and Christmas is a nice time of year when people give me money and it helps with getting myself out of the ruts that have accumulated over the year... thus, it gives me peace of mind, which is something I very much want... SO, that $50 that goes to pay off my utility bill, or to buy a new tire for my car, or to buy gas for the next two weeks... Yes, that's what I want. I want to not worry about whether or not I have groceries, or gas, or utilities, or rent or all those things that are necessary for living. I want to take an afternoon off and not feel guilty because I don't have the money for that. I feel a little strongly about it. I think if you are going to give someone money for something, you shouldn't dictate how they spend it. It's a gift. If you wanted to get me a "thing" you should have gotten a "thing." But you know... I really don't need "things."
Just keep that in mind if you give out cash for the holidays... sometimes what someone wants most is to not need...
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