christmas in review
Please note the size and color of each item. If it seems too complicated, just send gift cards. How about Kohl's and Target's? [sic]
Here's my treatise in defense of gift cards. It began somewhere around ten years ago when I realized that only *I* knew what clothing I really liked. By asking for a gift card to a clothing store, I not only had the pleasure of browsing the available merchandise myself, but could probably spend a bit more on an item than I normally would because it felt like "free money." Alternately, I could challenge myself to see how many things I could buy with only the gift card amount and walk out of the store with bagfuls of clothes, having spent no more than the cost of gas.
I'm also glad that we seem to be getting to the point, as a society, where giving gift cards is no longer considered "impersonal." It's kinda funny because the same people who call them impersonal also say "it's the thought that counts." Well, that adage goes both ways: buying a person something they don't really want says "here's what I think you should have," whereas the thought behind a gift card is "you know what clothes you like better than I do" or "I think you'd really like this restaurant" or "why don't you treat yourself to a little shopping spree?" I'd prefer to stand in the checkout line on December 26th to buy something I like, rather than stand in the returns line and feel guilty about exchanging something from someone who had good intentions.
There are still a few holdouts. Some folks say, "Why don't we just give cash? And since we give each other the same amount, why don't we just keep our money?" I guess that's fine logic if you exchange gifts of the same amount, but in my case, not all gift-givers and -receivers are on the same level. For example, my parents have always spent more on gifts for my brother and me than we spend on them, simply by virture of having more disposable income with which to do so. Thus, our gift exchanges are not of equal monetary value; but that's not really the point either, because, as the hypothetical person above said, "it's the thought that counts."
The other difference is, cash can be used for anything. If you're frugal with that cash, you may spend it at the grocery store and eat at home, whereas if I give you a gift card to a nice restaurant, you can have a pleasant evening out. It may not be a place you would normally choose to go, but since I gave you a gift card, you can splurge a bit. In my case, I've had the Animaniacs DVD set on my Amazon wish list since July when it was released, but never wanted it badly enough to buy it. But once I got it for Christmas, I watched the whole thing right away and loved it.
Another component is being able to add gift cards together. If I want, say, a new TV, the price might be higher than any one person would spend on me, but by asking for gift cards to an electronics store, I can put them together to defray the cost.
So there. Gift cards == good in my book.
Aside from gift cards, I also loaded up on DVDs of The Simpsons, Family Guy, and... Ducktales. Y'know, generally when one looks back on the cartoons from one's childhood, they seem pretty bland and formulaic, especially if one grew up in the Hanna-Barbera (may he rest in peace) era. But even now, I find Ducktales to be well-written for a kids' show. Sure, they have the stupid puns and gags all children's programming has, but Ducktales, like the Gummi Bears before it, had plots centered in adventure and mystery that always kept my interest.
It also ushered in the late 1980s renaissance in animation that led to the "Disney Afternoon" lineup, the critically-acclaimed Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, et al., and Warner Bros.' Tiny Toon Adventures and Animaniacs.
Speaking of which, I also received Volume 1 of Animaniacs courtesy of Stu and Laurie -- my first ever Hanukkah present. :) I was 13 when Animaniacs debuted, and I still find it fun to watch now, at twice that age.
Wakko: {grabs Beethoven's ear horn} Oh cool, a horn! {blows on it} Ewwww, where have you been putting this thing?
Beethoven: {annoyed} In my EAR!
Yakko: You really shouldn't go putting stuff like that in your ear; you'll go deaf.
Beethoven: I AM deaf!
Warners: {shrug} Too late!
Beethoven: Do you know who I am??
Yakko: No, but hum a few bars and we'll figure it out.
Beethoven: I am Ludwig van Beethoven, world-famous composer and pianist.
Yakko: You're a what?
Beethoven: A pianist.
Yakko: {to audience} Goodnight, everybody!
Beethoven: But that is what I am! A pianist! A pianist!
Yakko: Now we're gonna clean your chimney. And if your mouth is any indication, it's filthy.
Dot: LUNCH BREAK!
Beethoven: How can you take a lunch break already? You haven't even started working!
Dot: {flashes card} We're in a union!
