Shopping for Christmas
The Meaning of Christmas
Recently, I have noticed the following peculiar English usages, which meander away from standard vernacular:
1.
My Christmas is ready.
2.
He wasn’t happy with his Christmas.
3.
Our Christmas is under the tree.
Clearly, commercialism has transformed the word Christmas into a collective noun for “presents given and/or received during the Yuletide”, further blurring the like between secular shopping spree and religious observance of a holy day.
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Shopping has become sport, and what with all the news feed about “Black Friday” and blah blah blah, it’s almost as though we’re all in a foot race to see who can get what, how fast, for how much and before the clock strikes midnight on Christmas Eve.
No Easy Solutions
There are no solutions for those who feel pressured to give gifts. Whether you have a gigantic family to please, in-laws, co-workers or friends, sometimes you just feel needled.
I stopped by Union Square this weekend to take advantage of the Holiday Village. For some reason, I love to come here every year. There are vendors I see over and over again and some I miss. The best idea is to walk all the through the stalls to check out who has what. Sometimes, you can find the same item for a little money, or you can find something that you like even better. One of my favorite vendors is InnaSense (http://www.innasense-gems.com/isg/), run by two Russian sisters who collect raw, semi-precious stones and build jewelry around them. Each piece is unique. Another favorite vendor is Nepal, featuring goods made from Nepalese wool, including hats, glove, slippers, hands bags and wallets. Also available is jewelry made in the traditional royal Nepalese style. This year I was looking for a woman who made the best soaps and sachets, but sadly, she wasn’t there. In her place were myriad other soap vendors, alerting me to the fact that “Haute Soap” is now reaching the masses. I picked up several varieties to check out.
A shopping alternative for the hard to please and the distant is the Gift Certificate. The problem is which certificate. The jury is still out on this one, but I find for teenagers the American Express Gift Certificate always well received. It’s like cash, but not as tacky.
Re-Gifting?
Much has been said about re-gifting, most of it on sit-coms, but I am against it. Just have a yard sale, or sell the unwanted item on eBay. But for Athena’s sake please do not re-gift.
Retired Man
My father, also known as Retired Man, has told all of us in no uncertain terms that he does not need a coat, hat, gloves, scarves, ties, or socks. Apparently, he has accumulated a warehouse worth already. So, I opted to get his a gift certificate for one of his favorite restaurant chains, where he can lunch with his grandchildren. In retirement, lunching with the grandchildren is a real treat.
How to Survive Christmas
For those who find Christmas the most stressful time of the year, tell all your friends that what you really want is a trip to the day spa, and if they don’t buy you one, buy one for yourself!
