“Tis the season for shopping. I know, I know, it’s really about celebrating The Christ Child’s birth. But really, what it’s ABOUT and what really HAPPENS are concepts that could hardly be more opposite of one another.
And gift giving is different from shopping. To me, gift giving is presenting someone with something they’d enjoy in appreciation. Appreciation of an event, such as birthday, retirement, of friendship and, yes, even Christmas. Shopping, to me, because it is the standard practice of the season, is the task of going out to find something that you think someone might like. How many of us have wandered the internet or the aisles of our local Big Box trying to find the right “something” for someone? I have. It’s a slow, mindless death-via-shopping-cart endeavor.
I enjoy gift-giving. I abhor mindless shopping.
A cagey time of year, Christmas is. Unlike a birthday- with one person, one (or two) gift (s), Christmas time means multiple gifts for multiple people. So this year I did something different. I’d heard about it for the first time last Christmas season, but was too late to implement it. This year, I’m trying the idea of:
Something you want, Something you need, Something to wear, Something to read!
It’s been great. I shopped with purpose. I purchased gift items that my loved ones really want. I didn’t have to wander and wonder.
There are many less presents under our tree, but I’m reaching for quality over quantity. I’m used to quantity so it’s a bit unsettling having such a small pile of gifts, but I’m working to free myself from the rampant consumerism that is the hallmark of this time of year. I will not be sucked in anymore!
Except. Santa. He comes to our house and fills stockings for the grandchildren. He has clearance, cuz, you know, he’s Santa.
Writing Update:
Okay. Welp, the writing’s been hit-and-miss lately. I cut back my blogging from weekly to monthly so that I could spend more time on other stories. But you know what? If you don’t make time to sit and write, it doesn’t write itself. When I blogged once a week, I got my bootie in the chair for several hours at least once a week… I bet you can see where this is going… suffice it to say, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about the next plot steps of my story. And it’s been time (fairly) well spent as I’d come to the end of a section or timeline in the story and needed to figure out how to move forward into the next section of the story. I’ve come to realize that when I push myself to keep a firm writing schedule, I’m less creative.
I need time to mull.
So word count? Not much. But that’s okay. 9,716 words.
I wish you all a Merry Christmas and prosperous 2019. And, as always,
Be good to yourself.
~Nadine
Nadine M. Roth 