jackiedoherty.org

My condolences if you shopped today—especially at a mall. I happened to drive by Burlington at 5 p.m. and the traffic was horrible on 128 as cars inched along trying to get to the mall. Drum Hill was also a nightmare of crawling cars and limited parking. Ah, such is the wonder of the holidays—not for me.  Several years ago, I began giving “thought gifts” which usually turned out to be something homemade (most often food) or delivered (such as flower centerpieces or fruit arrangements). I’m not naturally crafty, but over the years, I have given breads, soups, wreaths with candles, bags of snacks and nuts, framed photos, and of course, cookies of all varieties. One year I discovered an awesome grater, so everyone on my list got one with a hunk of special cheese and a bottle of wine. I try to be creative and functional in thinking about gifts. My goal is to give something useful that the recipient will actually enjoy.  I spent too many years wandering aimlessly through hot, crowded malls trying to find something (anything)—usually expensive—for people who probably didn’t want it anyway. I’m sorry if this sounds Scroogish or anti-consumerism (which I know stimulates the economy), but it works for us. Okay, maybe not the kids so much. That’s a story for another day.