my xmas gifts

truth be told, i despise xmas. my best xmas ever was last year, when in fact, i didnt celebrate it (ok and because some mind-blowing sex was involved instead of singing retarded songs in front of a dead tree with kitschy junk hanging from it). so point is, i d rather not "celebrate" it specially as, duh, i m not christian. but due to social norms, a christian family, yiddy yadda, i am supposed to attend and get gifts to go with it. i resent this. i resent xmas markets. i dont know what makes me more dizzy. squeezing my frozen ass through all these people in guilt-free consumer frenzy or the pre-xmas prices.

i had decided to do it differently this year. firstly, cuz my budget aint very generous, secondly, seeing as my (god)mother has been uncluttering the house and garage the last couple months after my nagging her for ages, praising the advantages of a tidy home, how much more space she will have, how much time for cleaning up she will save, how she can freecycle all her extra stuff at the charity thrift store... i thought it would have been quite hypocritical never mention un-christian of me to send them more stuff to sit around and gather dust.

my idea was to send my love along with some chocolates as everybody loves chocolates and well, chocolates never take up any space for too long.... i went out to the supermarket back in november because supposedly, i would send out xmas parcels in time for xmas this year, got several big packs of different small round filled chocolates for, well, everybody, came home, mix and matched them, put them in pretty praline sachets, matching ribbons with inspired knots, stickers, packed them in boxes with frilly paper... and then i realised i d have to pay much more to actually send the parcels... bummer.

so instead, my gifts were: for my swiss in-laws who in a very protestant manner prefer to live way under their means and donate the rest, i chose a voucher for a meal at the "blind cow" restaurant in their city, which is a place run by an organisation for the blind. this was a multiple hit as it is not just a dine out but is quite an experience as you dine in absolute darkness and it's also for a self help organisation. for my family in alaska who also love to give for causes, i made a gift certificate in their name at a microfinancing organisation that gives loans to small business owners in developing countries. and when the borrowers pay back the loan, they can lend it again to someone else!

my flatmate and i agreed to not give any gifts to each other and instead put the savings towards a holiday together. i am eyeing so many destinations this year, from a city trip to barcelone to trecking in guatemala... and long overdue home visits to alaska and greece. the rest of my loved ones get my unconditional love and fiery loyalty which i could never match adequately with any gift that costs money. wait now that i think about it, maybe with the exception of my sugar who wants a sailing boat. ha, ha, ha.

oh and i got about a ton of filled pralines left in the cupboard...


MERRY CHRISTMAS