Gift Giving

so...Christmas is here once again...B101 is playing lots of Blue Christmas by Elvis and anything by Karen Carpenter...and I, again, am working very hard to feel the peace and contentment in my heart that they all seem to feel on television talk shows like Oprah and Ellen...but before I can sit down, drink eggnog, and reflect on all of my blessings I have to shop and wrap for 6 children, 1 husband, 1 precious aunt, 6 different polyanna presents, and many and various special employees that I want to thank for their service at holiday time...

Don't you think that gift giving gets in the way of Christmas…in my honest opinion I kind of think it does…In the "old days" when my babies were babies and my parents were alive I used to find present buying such a stressful, stressful chore...what do they want? will they like it? will it fit? will it be right? what does this have to do with the baby Jesus' birthday? and on and on...
And then, as I got older, I realized that I was...and am...always delighted with the gifts I get from people...no matter what they are...really..I mean if someone in my life wants to show me their love, respect, admiration, affection, or got me in the polyanna choice by buying me a present...isn't that kind of cool? And isn't it even better when I know they took the time to go to a store that they think I will like, wander around the store thinking and looking at things that they think I will like and then choosing something that they think  I will like...To this I say, lucky me!

One of my favorite gift giving stories is the Christmas one of my best friends' husband bought her lots and lots and lots of clothes...all from a "designer" whose clothes we women don't really expect to wear until we are at least 80 and living in Florida for 3 months a year. Well, everything matched with everything else, it all had elastic waists and I guess you could say appliques? embroidery? you know, stuff,... flowers, flamingos, fireworks, ferns... on the double knit tops...I know you know...and in the end she took it all back…and we still laugh about it …God, it was awful...but I always thought that it was just such a loving gift…he knew she wanted clothes for a cruise, he knew she loved blue, and he knew she wouldn't spend alot of money on herself...so he did...he spent hours in one department looking, matching, deciding, thinking about her…
personally, I find that very sexy...

So, now...not so much of a chore...and while I am shopping I hum a little Pa Rumpa Pum Pum along with Bing Crosby …

Then I…hit the egg nog…decorate the fake tree...watch the Miser brothers…visit the Land of Misfit toys…bring out my Mother's creche...track Santa on the computer…wish for the Andy Williams Christmas Special...wait for my kids to come home...and count my blessings.

The________Village

So...I went "in town" with KT to see the Christmas village...no Holiday village...no Christmas village ...whatever it is called,  that all of the fuss had been about. For me, the excitement is the actual going in town at Christmas time!! When I was a kid this was one event that we never missed and I could not wait for... 
On a cold Sunday all bundled up KT and I parked and walked around City Hall and stared in amazement at the Christmas, Holiday, Christmas village...with wooden stand after wooden stand after wooden stand of Christmas...stuff...German dancers?... and lots and lots of scarves and pashminas...all 3 for $25.00... so if you get one from me don't be that impressed...
Anyway KT was freezing...my 62 year old body wasn't that cold, oddly enough...so we went for lunch (of course, although no Crystal Room or Harvey House available) and then a little shopping. We ended up in Wanamaker's, now Macy's,  and found ourselves right smack in the middle of the light show...now the LED show. KT wanted to watch for awhile so I wandered into the shoe department to find a seat but instead found myself standing in the background watching her watching the show and she was smiling from ear to ear...I looked around and so many memories in that very spot with the Eagle in the background came to me...including my brother getting lost, Aunt Mag buying specially mixed foundation for herself...the most sophisticated thing I had EVER seen... and my mother breaking a fabulous high heel. And now in 2010 my beautiful daughter smiling at the sight and also, I am sure, at her very own  special memories... oh yes, it is Christmas time in Philadelphia...

WaWa Door Etiquette

So... I stopped at the WaWa today for a pumpkin spice cappuccino...my new addiction... and I got into a door holding dilemma...one person coming in on my right and one coming in on my left...and my hands are full so I am using my back and my butt...are you picturing it?...so do I turn to my left for the person on my left  thereby blocking the person on my right or do I turn to my right thereby blocking the person on my left...oh yes an absolute dilemma...AND shouldn't they be holding the door for me since my hands are full...and should they hold it for each other...who goes first...who holds the door for who...does gender have anything to do with it?...how about age?...how about wait time...how long should you wait for the next person coming in before you let the door go...oh, THAT is a hard one...how about two people arriving at the same time...so many different scenarios and dilemmas...