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It happens every year: unwanted Christmas presents. Aside from banishing
them to a seldom-used closet, what do you do with yours? Salvation Army (or
other charity)? Local landfill? Re-wrap the (slightly used) gift and give
it to a disliked relative? Hate to admit it, but this year I actually tossed two gifts (a couple of
very dated and *heavy* books on stock market investing) in the trash before
departing to the airport for my return trip home. It had to be done. The
thought of lugging those heavy books around the airport (crowded
Philadelphia) was just too much. They were like an albatross around my
neck. The next time I see my uncle, it should be interesting to see if I'm able to
maintain a straight face when he inevitably asks: "So, what did you think of
the books I gave you last Christmas? Were they a good read?" |
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- Have you considered a family discussion about ending the
annual gift giving? Buying gifts that are not used is not frugal.
and it should be interesting to see your face when your uncle asks,
"How did you like that big check I tucked inside?" -We were the smallest family (2 kids) in our 4-family group of cousins (3
families of 6 kids each), and it became wearing after awhile, so we stopped at
some point. I think I was around 9, and the oldest of all the cousins. It never mattered much to me, but thereafter, two of the families seemed, and
were, less close. I have no idea, for example, many years later, what any of
the cousins in those two families do for a living. I didn't go to any of their
weddings. I don't anticipate going to any of their funerals. We don't do gifts with all the cousins anymore. Everyone moved away, and we
lost touch, except sporadically. They all came to my father's funeral, though.
Not one of the other sets of cousins did. I do gifts now with my brother's children, however, and I suppose we're close,
for people who haven't lived in the same place since childhood. Maybe there's something more we're giving and receiving in this annual December
process than the actual gifts. We picked up giving gifts with that third family
again a couple of years later, and they're still "family"--we do the weddings
and funerals thing still. -A poor relation spends years sucking up to his
rich uncle in hopes of inheriting his uncle's fortune. Uncle gives him a
book on a subject nephew is not interested in. Nephew never reads the book.
Uncle asks if he enjoyed the book, he replies along the lines of "Yeah,
wonderful! Great stuff." and changes the subject. Uncle somewhere along
the way implies to nephew that he will inherit. Uncle dies. Nephew and
family tear the house apart looking for the will. Only will that anyone can
find leaves everything to someone else. Years later, far too late to do
anything about it, it turns out the version of the will leaving everything
to nephew was concealed in the pages of the book. |
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