As the primary shopper in the house, I was tempted to be my own “Santa” this year, and I guess I sort of was. There is one present under the tree that I bought for myself online and wrapped up, saying it’s from Santa.
This concept is not new. My mom and mother-in-law have been known to buy presents from themselves and pass them off as being from either Santa or their dear spouse. It was only a matter of time for this tradition to come down to my generation.
As I wrote about last Christmas in The Joy of Giving and Feigning Joy of Receiving, I am not overly into receiving gifts, nor giving out gift ideas for myself. I enjoy giving presents much more. Above everything else, I value the time and experience with loved ones over the holidays. Last Christmas I didn’t give Daddy O. the best kind of guidance, so I was horrible at graciously receiving gifts from him. To his defense he bought me the eye shadow color that the store employee gave him. It was labeled “sea grass” instead of “sweet grass” like I had written down. C’mon Aveda, get some more distinct makeup color names to help us out!
In hindsight (emphasis on HIND), I was genuinely thankful for the mannish-looking padded bike shorts that he gifted me last Christmas. For a picture of me in said bike shorts and my delayed thank you, see this post from summer.
While out shopping for presents this year, I ended up buying some new pants for work (including jeans!), so I offered these items as gift options for Daddy O. or Santa to give to me. He declined. I strategically left magazines open to pages and put X’s by items I liked, so there could be zero confusion as to what I had on my list. I caught the UPS shipment the other day, and I think Daddy O. successfully listened to my obvious prompts.
Now I just need to properly smile, say thank you, and simply enjoy the time with my dear family this Christmas. I’ll let you know how I do!
Do you buy your own Santa gifts? How do you share gift ideas to make shopping easier?
