This is the sort of letter I love to get:
Just made a contribution to your online tip jar to thank you for accompanying me to ULTA this afternoon. A couple weeks ago a friend forwarded a picture of me that she snapped with her smartphone, commenting that she thought it was a good likeness. I agreed, but couldn’t get past the impression that you would never know from looking at the photograph that I had put on makeup that morning (which I swear I had!). Now, the lips were entirely my fault, because I knew perfectly well that my favorite lip gloss has no staying power, but looking at that picture convinced me that maybe it was time to upgrade my bargain-basement lip color and blush to somewhat longer-lasting formulas. Before setting out, I trolled the BTFM archives for product suggestions, which made the shopping much more enjoyable and less overwhelming. So thanks for your help, and for your ongoing ministry of fabulousness.
Yay!! This makes me happy. I went shopping myself today, to buy Christmas presents for a 12-year old girl living in foster care (through a program my church does every Christmas). I had so much fun squinting at clothes and putting pieces together, and I wound up getting her a charcoal grey sweater in a pretty cut, a groovy t-shirt that will look very rock and roll underneath, and a pair of super cute sparkly heart earrings. She got the Juicy Couture perfume that she asked for and a gift certificate to Claire’s that she asked for. I figure she must be a groovy kid because she asked for a Lady Gaga CD (I’ll make her a mix CD with lots of Gaga on it).
One of the ways that Christians can get really obnoxious this time of year is to act as though we’re above all the commercialism of the holiday. Well, we should be critical of the frantic rush to BUY STUFF FER JESUS that makes for a hectic, unhappy, wasteful and expensive Advent but we shouldn’t forget how much joy can come from giving and receiving. I love doing both myself and don’t hesitate to admit it. The Three Magi schlepped some awesome swag across the desert to Bethlehem, and in all cultures the giving of gifts signifies respect, appreciation and generosity.
I have always loved shopping for gifts (not under pressure, which is why I prefer to skip Christmas if need be and give gifts spontaneously whenever I find something I think would perfectly suit someone I love) and I don’t want any sour-puss Christians telling me that I’m not respecting the “reason for the season” when I slap down my debit card with a big grin and walk off with a bag of goodies that I know will make someone happy.
The Unvirtuous Abbey had a great Tweet today. They said, “For those who complain that we’ve lost the ‘Christ’ in Christmas but who have apparently lost the ‘Christ’ in ‘Christian’ themselves, we pray.”
Love that tweet! My in-laws decided to buy gifts for angel tree recipients instead of exchanging gifts this year. Love my in-laws! Inspired by that, I donated to various charities in honor of my family members instead of buying them gifts (along with a fancy fruit basket so they’d have something on Christmas day).
Our church supports a shelter for women and children, and I do enjoy buying toys and art supplies for them. I do hate gag gifts and buying people their eleventy-seventh scented candle. But I was over the Christmas buying a long time before getting all sour-mouthed about it was fashionable. How fortunate that girl is to have you in her life.
This is lovely. I tend towards charitable giving, as we have no children of our own. When nieces and nephews were young, we jumped on board the toy/book/art supply train and had a great time. I worry so about parents who feel they must go overboard in order for Christmas to be acceptable — by working even harder or taking on debt that would be a huge burden come January.
A friend’s daughter – a single parent – took on a second job (retail) when her daughter was 3 in order to “buy Christmas” for her. For 6 weeks, her daughter saw her only briefly in the mornings before she went to daycare. Many nights she cried herself to sleep at her grandparents’ because she missed her mommy. Christmas morning, rather than ripping into the mountain of presents the second job had afforded, she simply sat in her exhausted mother’s lap and clung to her. For the sake of all our children, we need to dial it back just a bit and rediscover the simple joys of baking a batch of cookies while listening to seasonal music before caroling, then driving around to look enjoy the lights. (LOVE the phrase “BUY STUFF FER JESUS!”)