four calling birds...

You have to read the title to the tune.

So, I guess I'm writing more because I don't feel like working. Bad me. Brain is already on vacation planning grasshoppers, key lime martini's, bottles of wine... hehehehe.

Today is friday. I spent a couple of hours last night loading photos onto 4 SD cards that will go with the digital frames I'm giving to my parents and 3 sisters. Did I tell you the story of the gift giving fiasco this year? I don't think so, so here goes.

every year at thanksgiving my family exchanges an envelope with your christmas list in it. the reason for this tradition is that there is one family member who struggles with a lack of regulation. she has given completely inappropriate gifts and spends between $5 or $500 unless directed otherwise. So this has been our tradition for at least ten years. Exchange the list of what you want with one other person. So instead of buying for the whole family, you buy for one person and you know what they want.

a couple of years ago, mark and chris started arranging to get each other's name because chris always wanted gift cards and mark wanted money for tatoos and some people were bothered by their lack of wanting something with more mass to wrap. (i didn't personally care.) but knowing that, this year i suggested letting the brother-in-laws exchange among themselves, and then my sisters and parents would exchange among each other. ok fine. except connie got michelle's list and michelle just wanted cash.

evidently that put connie off the deep end. it's fine for her husband to ask for cash, but if michelle wants cash because she's planning to redecorate her kitchen next year connie decided that we just shouldn't bother to exchange gifts this year.

here's me on my soap box: wtf? isn't the point of christmas to take a little of your time to choose an item for someone you love and give it to them? and if they want cash for remodeling couldn't you get a damn home depot gift card, wrap it up and be %$&#ing happy that your shopping was done easy?

off the box. ok, so connie talks to becky and then to dad and gets the majority vote to cancel gift giving. i didn't argue, i said fine because i just had to come up with $2000 to buy my parent's boat to help them out financially. so that was pretty much my budget anyway. fine. no gifts. i can handle it.

THEN, mark calls me a week later and says he drew kevin's name and what would kevin like for christmas? WTF??!!! why would he not be aware that his wife cancelled christmas gift giving? oh, #$% dammit! i flipped out, and mark said that the message he got from connie was that if someone wanted to buy something they could but it was optional.

soap box: WHAT THE %$&# IS THAT ABOUT?? ok, so now my choice is to not buy anyone anything and show up on christmas and feel really badly if someone did choose to get me something, or go ahead and buy anyway.

off the box. so, since christmas is about giving, not getting, i fully expect that to be the case this year. and if there is a chance that anyone is giving something to anyone else, well then the way that i show my love is to share gifts with people. so, i bought every damn one of them a gift. a digital frame and i put pictures on an SD card so that everyone can use them with at least a few pictures and minimal effort.

merry %$&#ing christmas. can you believe i've held that in for these past few weeks? honestly, i'm ticked off about the mind %$&# and making it so much more difficult than it has to be. i'm pleased with the gifts i have for each of them and really feel pretty good about it; like this worked out the best because i can give each of them something, not just the one person whose name i drew. but seriously, it makes me want another drink.