Books, Socks and Greek Heroes

Today I impulsively decided to swing past the mall and pick up an emergency batch of sprinkle donuts for my company. I forgot it was “Black Friday”. Ugh. It wasn’t exactly a quick pass, but my eight year old niece announced that those sprinkle donuts were definitely worth my wait. Though, I should not have fed them to the kids before their first small plane ride. That, however, is another blog. Today we have a topic Ladies and Gentlemen. Christmas gifts. How often does anyone remember what they gave or received in the store-bought gift category? 

Last year was my first “make it easy on myself and avoid the dreaded mall” gift-giving year. I shared a gift that I myself have a serious fondness for, electric throws. They’re smaller than electric blankets, comfy and fuzzy, very portable, and they’re WARM. Pretty much everyone on my list got one. To make it more fun I named them, and gave them each a personality profile. To the friend with the penchant for Greek men went Achilles, my BFF got Rocky and a teenager got Jacob…  It is simply more fun to go cuddle with your hot blanket when it has a name.

This year, as a direct result of the fact that I spent so much time at writer conferences, the theme is…  Books!  No groaning, I’m talking great books, many autographed and most come with a side of personalized chocolate and socks. The same people are on my list this year as last, and what goes better with the electric throw you got last year, than a great read, the mandatory chocolate and a warm pair of cozy socks?  And with all the time, energy and good humor I’m saving by not wasting time shopping, I can accomplish more meaningful tasks. Like writing my novel and spending time with family and friends during the holiday season - with a genuine smile. Hopefully, they’ll be smiling too. If not, at least they’ll remember this as the year they got books and socks for Christmas. Creating memories is why we give gifts in the first place isn’t it?