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I buy into the commercialization by buying multiple gifts, our son gets 1 from his Mom, 1 from me,and 1 from Santa , and of course his grand parents and aunt always send him something, Buying a present for my wife is fairly simple, she likes perfume and bath sets , her favourite perfume is called Exclamation, it’s hard to find at the best of times but this year Wal-mart had it in a nifty gift basket set so I jumped all over that, I also got her a small appliance ( a new large slow cooker) … I know I know Household appliances usually don’t make very good or thoughtful gifts, in fact some women get down right pissed when their hubby buys them one for their birthday or for the holidays, appliances are generally bought outside of holidays and birthdays… yes I get that.
But my wife is different, see she is practical (like me), she had 2 really old crock pots/slow cookers, 1 large 4 quart and a smaller 2.5 quart , the big one crapped out, in our home and lives, we tend to use things until they are completely worn out, then we re-purpose them when and where we can or recycle them, that worn out crock pot was ceramic so I cut the power cord off it and re-purposed it and it’s now a flower pot for our back step.
My wife has made do for many years, so last year I bought her a new set of pots and pans (good quality ones) and along with that I bought her a variety of baking pans and cookie sheets etc ( she loves to bake), it may sound like I am trying to keep her tied to the kitchen but I am not, I listen to her quietly grumble about things, and watch her when at a friends house to see what she is looking at etc. My wife hasn’t had new appliances in about 10 years, so this year she will be loaded up with them, my Mother got her a waffle maker (she has always wanted one) and a deep fryer, my Sister got her a new electric mixer (apparently my cordless drill with a beater bar attached was a tad too rednecky for her!) , our son got her a new modern toaster and as I said I got her a new large slow cooker…. she will be so happy she will start crying, how do I know this? Because she truly appreciates her gifts, and now she will have all shiny new appliances on her counters just like all her friends do .
Hammy (our son) is also fairly simple to buy for, he is a simple kind of kid, doesn’t care about the latest electronic gadget and is just as happy to get a book as he is to get a video game, this year my wife and I got him 4 classic books (that every boy should read…or any kid really) Treasure Island, Moby Dick, Robin Caruso, and Tom Sawyer, he loves to read and these classics need to be in his book collection, we also got him 2 movies he wanted , Happy feet 2 and how to train your dragon 2, as well as 2 video games he wanted, Assassins Creed Rogue and GTA V , the latter I’m not crazy about due to language and the extreme violence , how ever our son has a good head on his shoulders and knows it’s only a video game.
As for myself, I don’t need or want a present, the smiles and excitement on my wife’s and son’s face is the best gift ever, and this year having my wife alive and well enough to celebrate Christmas, is the GRANDEST present I could ever ask or wish for.
As I re read this and think about it, I can’t help but think of all the folks who won’t have a good Christmas, all those folks who won’t be sitting down at a table for a nice Christmas dinner with their friends and family, all those folks and children,for who, Santa will not come…. I thank God profusely for my good fortune as my heart weeps for those that have nothing, I have great Empathy for each and every one of them for I know what it is like to have Santa forget where I lived (many times), I know what it is like to go to sleep crying quietly so as not to wake the baby, I cried because my belly was empty and I was hungry, I can remember having a small bowl of very watered down chicken noodle soup for my Christmas dinner, I can remember living in a burned out abandoned house with no heat power or water ….. like I said I thank God for my good fortune while my heart weeps for those who are where I have been ,
My wife has never known hunger or childhood homelessness, nor has she ever gone a Christmas without Santa , she was fortunate growing up, her Foster parents adopted her at a very young age and gave her a good home, stability, food and shelter, My wife can not understand what it feels like to go without, she can not understand the heart ache my Mother felt as she struggled to feed her kids , she has never seen her Dad broken down and crying because he could not even provide the most basic of necessities for his family. I have witnessed my Dad swallow his pride and beg a man for a job, I have witnessed my Mother swallow her pride and beg in the streets for enough change so she could feed her children something, anything.
Our son has never experienced hunger,nor homelessness, and Santa has always and will always come for him, he will NEVER go through or experience anything that happened to me, That has been my VOW and PROMISE to him since he was but an hour old.
Yes this did truly happen to my family when I was a child, so you see I truly do have Empathy and a firm understanding of those folks who struggle, who have no home, who have no food, who have lost all hope, I do NOT and never have looked at a homeless person with disdain,disgust,or as an eyesore, I have never once thought ill of them or told them to get a fucking job or get off welfare and quit being a burden to society…. I look at each individual with nothing but love and compassion, I pray for them all and hope God shows mercy on them, I pray that folks who do have a home, do have food, do have a job, shows them mercy.
I spend a lot of time volunteering at shelters and giving out food hampers at the Salvation Army, and donate our gently used clothing and household items to various charities that in turn sell them to those on a tight budget for just pennies on the dollar, knowing every penny raised goes into shelters and food for those that need it, I donate money too, but I am not a wealthy person, I make enough to provide a good living for my little family. But my little family and I are only 3 people, we can only do so much, even less now that my wife can no longer spend hours volunteering due to her health.
So all I ask of you and everyone who reads my blog… this Christmas , even if you’re an Atheist, give a moments pause, and think of all those folks who are not as fortunate as you, and give thanks for your good fortune, that’s it, no money or precious time commitments involved , you don’t even have to get up from your comfy chair to do anything, simply take a moment to think about that homeless person you saw today/yesterday/that one time on your way to the store…. I wonder if they have a family hidden away somewhere? Maybe they have a kid or kids? What will they be doing this Christmas? Are they warm enough where ever they lay their head for the night?
Anyway, I will leave you with that, remember folks, express your love often, never take tomorrow for granted,and be kind to others.
From my little family to each and every one of you, May you have a Blessed and Merry Christmas
Butch
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