Archive for December, 2011:
I declare it Gift Card Day!
It’s the holiday season again, and for many of us that means spending copious amounts of time searching for just the right gift for everyone on our list. Never mind that the definition of ‘gift’ is ‘a thing given willingly or freely without thought of payment.’ Like Valentine’s Day and birthdays, much of December remains drenched in mandated gifting (yes, that is a complete oxy moron!) And there’s the constant worry about just the right gift, and – if you’re smart – just the right budget.
This gifting is such a pain that holiday advertising is all about what to give and how easy it can be. I have a local jewelry store advertising that husbands get their wives a pendant from their store. This is literally phrased as a “No-Brainer Gift”. But the ad is so pervasive that I think the wives who get this pendant are going to be upset . . .
Some of you are leaning back and thinking “No, the holidays aren’t a problem. I have this all covered.” What’s the secret? No secret really, gift cards. They are always what you want.
Personally, I love’em! Just like everyone else, the unknown gift you gave me – via gift card – is now that thing I have had my eye on for a while! WhoooHoooo! Except . . . there’s a problem. Gift cards are awesome, when used sparingly.
A Hallmark Holiday
The things I have learned from watching the Hallmark Channel.
And, yes, I am aware that pretty much everything in that sentence smacks of wrongness. You could repeat it with an emphasis on any of the major words and it would have appropriate meaning. Why was I watching the HALLMARK Channel? If my TV was there, why was I WATCHING it? Why ME? WHY?
Well, I can answer one question (but not the rest, sorry). I was watching because a friend of mine is an up-and-coming actress and had a role on one of the holiday movies. I’m very proud of her . . . for keeping a straight face. I want her to know what a good friend I am: I watched that whole movie, and I learned.
Here’s what I now know from her movie and a few of the Hallmark Channel commercials I was graced with while watching.
