I have a confession to make - I am a chronic last-minute holiday shopper. I really try not to be and I never wait until the very last-minute and go out on Christmas Eve but time just gets away from me during the winter months (could have something to do with my spiked nog intake). The good news is that although they may not get wrapped until two days before Christmas, my gifts are usually pretty damn awesome (this is one of the rare things I commend myself on). Last year, I gave one of my friends a Wii tennis racket that says 'You suck' in my voice every time she takes a swing. It may be my favorite gift I've ever given. Every year at around Halloween I really start listening to stuff my loved ones talk about wanting or needing. Since they usually say it and then forget about it (and really, how bad did you really want it if you forgot about it so quickly, but I digress), they're pleasantly surprised to see it on Christmas morning. I like giving people something they want and need instead of just something they want (except for my mom, who deserves everything she wants but last year thwarted my attempts to get her anything she needed or wanted). I didn't believe it until I became a big kid but I really do enjoy giving gifts more than receiving them.
Growing up Christmas at our house was awesome in every way, totally go big or go home kinda stuff. My mom is very creative and always had projects to get done and baking for us to help her out with. There are a million pictures of our house and how it was decorated, pictures of us kids dancing in my great grandparents basement. Looking back I'm even more in awe now of all of it because we didn't grow up with much in terms of money but somehow there were always presents under that tree. Christmas Eve we all got pajamas, we had to wait until after Santa's visit to get toys. But they were always worth the wait. The best presents I ever received as a kid were a keyboard when I was 8, my own guitar at 10 (until then my sister and I had to share my mom's guitar) and a pogo stick when I was 12 (which made a horribly annoying squeaky sound every time I used it but I didn't care). I can't honestly think of the best gift I've ever received as an adult but a few years ago my uncle decided to get everyone Nerf guns and that turned out to be a lot of fun. It was a day-long battle with foam darts flying everywhere and everyone felt like a kid again.
This year my family has decided to issue a challenge; all gifts given on Christmas Eve have to be homemade. My aunt says she came up with it because she thinks it's a shame that a family full of so many creative people has never put all that craftiness to use for each other. I don't mind it at all and I think it's gonna be good for the kids. I immediately knew what I was gonna make for my mom and my niece solicited my help in making her gift for her parents. All I'm gonna say is it involves building something from scratch and we're gonna wing it and see how it turns out. Fortunately we still have time to fix it if it doesn't turn out the way she wants. Some people may think this challenge adds to an already insane holiday season (my girl still hasn't seen Santa yet and I wanna get her there before she changes her mind back to wanting a monkey). But I believe that it really is the thought that counts and having to make something for someone requires even more thought that buying something. Should be interesting. And I'm always up for a challenge.
