Rationalizing Pack Ratting

Here is today's tidbit. How I(sometimes/often) rationalize being a pack rat.

You may recall that yesterday I posted something to the effect of bargain shopping resulting in too much stuff which thus yielded stress. Well, here's another take. If they are gifts, they contribute to the joy of giving and pampering my friends which falls under the relationship building category. Not to mention I found some really cool stuff for the Diva for a Day Retreats that are in the making...

I of course managed to find a rationalization for this today when I ended up at the Bon Ton and all their Christmas ornaments rang up at .99 each. Oh my! Now I was there just yesterday and the stuff was 75% off, enough to whet the appetite of my inner shopper, but since times are tough, that is no longer good enough. But each of the girls picked one out, and I limited it to just one thinking they were "only" 75% off, and was surprised when they rang up at .99 each, a discount of over 90%. That prompted getting a cart and filling it up.

The register can only handle 44 items per transaction and I will simply say my total order took more than one transaction.

And how did I rationalize pack ratting three boxes and one bag of ornaments? Why, they are gifts of course!

I love giving gifts. When I see something I know is perfect for someone else, I must buy it, and if it is a bargain the must factor is multiplied by about ten.

So I have among other things, eighteen "Joy" ornaments for all the teachers at Nicole's school for next year. A blown glass "Wisconsin" ornament (how unique) for my dear walking buddy who moved away to where else but Wisconsin. Three doggy ornaments, one for an editor who has a dachshund, and a Lhasa and Shitzu for a friend who has either one or the other, but I can't remember which...and enough to decorate my pink tree with as well as group together about three wedding gifts worth.

But in the mean time I still have to store them, so I lost today's battle. How did your day go in the pack rat department?

Christmas Spending

I have been dragging my feet with Christmas shopping this year. I don't want to enter into frenzied (or un-frenzied, for that matter) shopping. I have been slowly and deliberately choosing gifts that will bring delight to the recipient.

But I am really having a hard time as I review my girls' Christmas lists. They are pretty long and have some pretty expensive items on them. Images of people who don't have food or clean water keep invading my thoughts. On those lines I learned about a web site that hasn't made this thought process any easier. Go to www.adventconspiracy.org. Watch the video. I know I was provoked. Basically, it tells us we spend 450 billion dollars each year on gifts, and note that it would only require 10 million dollars to supply those who need it with clean water. Amazing.

I have to admit my philosophy has changed over the years related to gift giving. I love to honor requests, but I prefer delightful surprises, or a treasure that is so unique, or so clearly has someone's name written all over it that I can't resist. For far too many years I carried on my mother's gift giving traditions, which included sale and clearnace items with little thought or consideration to whether it was really something the person wanted or not. Or if I responded to an item on the list, that was it. It probably won't come as a surprise that I was a proficient re-gifter and hung out in the clearance sections of stores...But now I search for meaning and delight and believe strongly in the gift of self.

So I am not excited about venturing into stores over the next few days. It just seems so unnecessary and anticlimactic (to my way of thinking, my girls will NOT agree). But I will do some shopping tomorrow. I have the perfect idea for Howie, but technology is once again giving me fits. All I need to do is send a photo on my computer to CVS and the page won't load... It is probably the last day I will really have a chunk of time to ponder, contemplate and not respond to impulse or whim. I am going to spend the day with my writing friend Connie.

The rest of the week is full; and I don't want to race through my days at breakneck speed. I want to have time to admire beautiful trees. Strike up conversations and simply be aware of those around me. I am working three days and then wind down the week with a radio interview and Christmas party with Nicole. And then Matt will be home, he has surgery next week, and then the girls are off for two weeks and I just want to be. I want to enjoy my time with them (because relationships matter) and not be crazy and stressed.