Christmas Gift Ideas

 

“Ladies, I’ve got the perfect gift for your husband this Christmas.  Why not buy him a new deck for your home?  We’ve got a special on decks this Christmas season. ”

“But we live in northern Canada.  You can’t put up a deck in winter!”

“That’s okay because we can ship all the material you need for that new deck, and have it there by Christmas Day if you order today.”

“What good will that do?  What are we supposed to do with all that material sitting around?”

“Just think about all the fun your husband will have next summer putting up your deck.”

“Forget it!  My husband couldn’t build a house of cards.”

Have you noticed that just about every retailer has the perfect gift for someone?  And some of their gift ideas get downright ridiculous. 

“Hey Honey!  Guess what I got you for Christmas?  A new wall to wall carpet . . . black . . . shag . . . for the bathroom.  Isn’t that great?”

The airways, the newspapers and the mailboxes (community or door-to-door) are filled with ads for “the best Christmas gift ever.”  Every wife/husband/child/ mother/father-in-law/dog/cat must have one of these for Christmas.  Every retailer from big box stores to mall aisle vendors has a Christmas gift idea for you.

“So, what did you get your Mother-in-law for Christmas?”

“We got her an all-day session at a paint ball park.  They had them on special at the mall.”

I guess you can’t blame retailers from trying to make the most of the holiday season.  They say that a large part of their annual revenues come during the Christmas shopping period.  But sometimes you think that they are trying too hard.  Every year you hear the same story that Christmas is a “success” only if sales exceed last year’s. 

For the poor consumer/Christmas shopper, this leads to a sense of panic that they are not doing their best in the cause of that “successful” Christmas.  They become desperate to find even more unique gifts, hence decks, shag carpets and paint ball sessions.  One of my favourite Christmas ornaments shows a harried shopper with the caption “Spirit of Christmas stress”.  It just seems to capture what has become the spirit of Christmas.  So, you Christmas shoppers get out there and see what outlandish gifts you can find for your loved ones this year.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL.