may i just say, i am not a scrooge!

oh holy baby jesus. i love christmas, i love the holidays, i love being with family and friends, I DO NOT LOVE THE CONSUMERISM ASSOCIATED WITH THE WHOLE SHEBANG. so what did i do? last year, i decided, no gifts. no gifts given, no gifts recieved. it was fantastic! we used the money we saved on all the unneccessary presents to accumulate a months worth of party food and drink and we threw a month-long party for all of our friends and family. it was such a happy, stress free time, and since there are no children in our family at this point, it was completly acceptable. But, this year, the plan seems to be crashing and burning like a 747 full of fireworks hitting the ground from a free fall at 3000 feet in the air.

the boyfriend (of 10 months) loved the idea just as much as i did when i told him that i did not celebrate christmas with gifts. i sighed with relief. his parents, however, cannot wrap their heads around the concept, and now, due to inadequate explaining, must think i am a terrible terrible, christmas-hating christmas hater.

so boyfriend calls me today, and this is how it went:

me: hey! hows the day goin?
him: pretty good, me and my parents have been squabbling a bit though.
me: really? what about?
him:.....

foock. at this point its pretty obvious. me.

him: my parents still dont understand why you wont let anyone buy you any gifts.
me: its not that i wont let anyone, its just that i dont want them to think they have to, and i wanted them to know that they wont be getting anything from me.

him:....
me: im not a scrooge, and i hate that they think that.
him: they dont, they just dont understand, and i cant explain it, because i dont really even understand it.

wtf! i thought he did! i thought he was totally down with the idea! guess not.

the conversation continued on in a back and forth motion and nothing was accomplished.

i just dont want to step on anybody's patent leather christmas shoes, so i've been making small things to give out to the ones who dont understand my ideals the most (my grandmother, boyfriends parents, cousin 1 and cousin 2). so, i have unsuccessfully carried out my plan of a no gift holiday season. and boyfriend is aggitated because i "went back on my word" of no gifts.

am i completely wrong? arent you tired of buying key-finders for people who never loose their keys, and yet another coffee mug for co-worker cheryl too?

i wanna hear your thoughts on the idea of no gifts on christmas. am i as crazy as everyone seems to think? or does this idea have the potential to start its own cult?...

peace,
beatnik