Erin: Happy Holidays

So here it is: December 22. Two days until Christmas Eve. And I haven’t done one stitch of shopping. Lovely.

I have a lengthy list of ideas, yes, but between writing grad school final research papers and working a full-time job, squeezing in an excursion to the mall (and it is an excursion of epic proportions to maneuver minivan traffic in mall parking lots) hasn’t exactly been a top priority. Well, that, and working under a tight deadline has always been my forte.

Quite honestly, though, what I’d love to do for Christmas this year is not exchange any gifts.

That’s right. No. Gifts. Not a one.

The holiday season would be so much simpler and less stressful. Wouldn’t you agree?

No racing from store to store, buying unnecessary gifts and stocking-stuffers that end up in the garage sale pile or collecting dust. And no last minute shopping on December 24 to buy “just one more thing” because it just doesn’t feel like you bought enough for so-and-so.

Christmas after Christmas, I fret about finding the *perfect* gift for each of my loved ones. High-tech coffee/espresso grinder/maker/brewer for the parents. Antique dishes for mom’s ever-growing collection. Cycling gear for dad. That camera bag my sister has been wanting for her 30D for.ever.

Stuff, stuff and more stuff.

And stuff no one remembers they bought or got the next time December 25 rolls around (no lie, I cannot for the life of me remember what I bought or got last year).

So here’s a better idea: Spend time with your loved ones. Visit around the dining table after that once-a-year Christmas Eve dinner. Listen to your grandparents’ incredible words of wisdom. Play a game of Scrabble. Go skiing or snowshoeing through the woods at a state park.

The best holiday memories I have don’t involve gifts (though that Cabbage Patch doll I got in 1987 was pretty awesome, as were my first pair of inline skates in 1993… black with hot pink laces!), but instead revolve around time with my amazing family. We would race for hours around the elementary school gym (my grandpa worked there, so we had unlimited access during school break), busting out jump ropes, parachutes, scooters, basketballs and hockey sticks. We tunneled through snow banks, creating secret forts that we gallantly defended with snowballs. And after it all, we worked up just enough (key words here: just enough) of an appetite to try one tiny bite of grandma’s lutefisk.

So here’s to a blissful holiday filled with loads of family love, activities galore (get out and move after dinner!), and, of course, the perfect gifts (and yes, I’ll be braving the masses to find mine… this year anyway). :)

Happy holidays, dear readers.