Category Archives: Flotsam / Jetsam

That’s what she said she wanted

I finished NaBloPoMo!Can you believe it’s December tomorrow? I can’t. Even though we do have our Christmas decorations up. It feels like it ought to be late October. Anyway, with December comes the end of National Blog Posting Month, which could mean things will be quiet around here for a few days. Or maybe not. I do have Important Things on the horizon, like Christmas shopping and buying my mom a new toilet seat for her birthday.

In search of a Christmas-shopping elf

NaBloPoMo 2010It’s been years and years since I went to my dad’s family’s annual Christmas party. I think Rockford and I have been there once since we’ve been married. (And the time I’m remembering might have been before we were married.) My dad has three brothers, and when they and my cousins all show up it’s a big group of people. When I was a kid, it was noisy and chaotic, and there was always a lot of food. Noisy and chaotic has never been My Kind of Thing, even when I was a kid. Even so, it was maybe my favorite day of the year growing up, and I’m very much looking forward to being there this year.

"Presents" by Alice Harold
Alice Harold photo

What with it being a largish family, it would be tough to buy presents for everyone. They used to draw names for gift-giving, but a few years ago they decided to do a Yankee Swap sort of thing instead. Everyone brings a gift, then they draw numbers to determine who picks the first present from the pile. When the next person’s turn comes, they can “steal” the first person’s gift or pick something from the remaining wrapped presents.

The little kids don’t participate — they’ll have something specifically for them under the tree — so I need to come up with two gift ideas for the exchange. I have an idea for one present, but I’m having trouble coming up with a second. And what do I do when I’m having trouble deciding on a thing? I ask the internet. The first gift will be food-related, so I’d like to come up with something else that isn’t.

So, people of the internet, what’s a $25-or-less-present for which you’d gently shove your grandma? (Note: I don’t think it’ll come to that. But that’s just because Grandma won’t be there.)