'Tis a gift! An Open Book blog post

Welcome to Open Book Blog Hop. You can find us every Monday talking about the writing life. I hope you'll check out all the posts: you'll find the links at the bottom of this post.

Dec 19, 2022 What gift did you want that you never got and might be bitter about? Have you bought it for yourself?

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Somewhere in the fog of childhood memory, I'm sure I was a petulant little brat over something I wanted and didn't get, but from the vantage point of my fifty-first year on planet earth, I know I've been quite spoiled across my life. I don't harbor any of this kind of bitterness apparently, because I can't remember anything like that. 

Even when we didn't have much money, my parents knew how to make gifts seem special, setting the stage and presenting them in a way that made them special. I suppose it's all in what you compare it to.

These days, I'm told I'm difficult to buy for. 

I can see that. 

Small things I need I buy for myself when they come up. Other things, I save up for, but wouldn't generally ask for as gifts because they're too expensive. Like many adults, I often receive quite practical gifts--things I actually need. 

I like giving gifts more than receiving them, though even giving them can become stressful, especially in a household like ours that celebrates both Chanukah and Christmas at this time of year. I have mixed feelings about gift-giving holidays and the sense of obligation that can take them over. 

My husband usually buys me tickets--to a play or concert, or for a trip or something like that. He knows I would enjoy an experience more than a trinket. My mother still buys me clothes, and somehow always knows what size and style are right for me, even though we live three states away and only see each other a few times a year. 

The children often make things, and those are special gifts indeed. 

So, I'll leave you with a sonnet I wrote a few years back. I'm afraid I'm not all that good at sonnets, but the sentiments are genuine. 

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