I never appreciated the possibility that our modern fragmented families offer for juvenile loot acquisition until one cousin pointed out that this was her daughter's seventh Christmas present opening celebration. One had been with her father, one with her father's wife's family, one with her mother and mother's new husband, one with father's parents, one with mother's new husband's parents, one with wife's extended family and one "wild card" I cannot recall as I sit here now. Each gathering had ample gifts--Santa Claus has seven faces.
Fortunately, the family's extended gathering follows the "gift exchange" method, in which one gives one "nice" gift within the extended family rather than numerous gifts to numerous more distant family members. I was pleased that the little quilt I had found in downtown McKinney went over quite well. I love quilts, so it was nice to see that others feel the same way, too.
I've mailed out a good few holiday cards and kazoos this week, and will mail out more when I return to Texas. Today, though, we drive down to see my uncle, aunt, and cousins in Tulsa. The heavy snow we encountered on the drive up is entirely gone. I hope we get a moment to take a nice walk in a park or botanical garden today.
But now for the important part. I ask for suggestions on how to use a holiday gift certificate.
Imagine that you received a gift certificate for twenty five dollars to a Barnes & Noble bookstore as part of a holiday gift exchange. Assume also that you are in dire need of a novel, or based on recent feedback, a good book on art history. What would you buy?
