I am currently in whatever “era” it is when your adult children can buy themselves what they want for Christmas.
What this means is that I carefully take note of things they mention wanting or needing throughout the year. Then I gleefully purchase these items and pat myself on the back for being so darn thoughtful. I then sit back to bask in the joy of a job well done.
This lasts right up until they casually mention in passing conversation that they ALREADY PURCHASED THAT EXACT ITEM FOR THEMSELVES.
Grown
Look, I get it. Once you’re an adult, especially if you have what BoyWonder humorously refers to as his “big boy job,” it’s definitely a good feeling to buy things when you need them. Clothing, hobbies, home decor and cookware are generally purchased as need arises. No one really wants to wait months for their new food processor or the new leather belt they need.
We can all enjoy the trip down memory lane as we gleefully remember circling nearly every page in the Sears catalog and “making our lists and checking them twice” for what we hoped to receive on Christmas day. Nonetheless, the truth about childhood is that there isn’t a whole lot of control. Wishing isn’t always getting, after all. Kids love Christmas and birthdays because it’s the one time you get to dream about the things you’ve wanted and may have even a modicum of chance of getting them in your hot little hands. Even amongst the most reliable adults, however, once you have a job and a little bit of disposable income, God willing, you can get those things for yourself without waiting for Santa Claus, mom and dad or Christmas morning.
Shop
GirlWonder and her handsome husband are busy working on their new-to-them and also very old house. This, then, is the year that “the kids” realized that Black Friday sales are more about buying things for yourself (as in for the home) than they are about buying gifts.
Black Friday sales mean that exciting things like flooring are on sale. They are looking forward to finally having a dishwasher. It is scheduled to be delivered sometime between next Thursday and sometime in 2027. Why appliance sellers give you delivery dates that have absolutely no relation to anything that will ever happen in reality is a subject for another day.
For these eager homeowners, Black Friday was spent perusing the aisles of the lumber center and home improvement stores. It’s glorious. She definitely made a list. It’s funny how Home Depot is to her now what Toys “R” Us was when she was a child. No Barbie Dream House for her. She has the real thing. Meanwhile, I find myself wondering if a caulk gun makes a nice gift.
As the countdown toward Christmas ticks forward, I find myself wondering how many items wrapped under our tree will end up being something the adults on my list have already purchased for themselves? I’m not mad when they buy things for themselves I’ve already purchased as well. It’s hilarious. It’s sweet of them to give me ideas at all.
I tried really hard to get what they want but they don’t ask for much. They’re all just so sweet. “We don’t need anything, Mom. Don’t worry about it.” “If I need something, I just get it.”
Look, I love giving. I appreciate their zen for minimalism, I do. I also know that, if all goes well, on Christmas morning I want to watch people unwrap gifts. If they have to unwrap a dozen gifts that I’ve bought for their pets, so be it. At the very least, I know that my granddogs aren’t online ordering duplicates of everything I purchased. Their paw-rents, on the other hand, are the ones who cannot be trusted.
