Friday, November 25, 2011

The Bottom Drawer Shopper



I'd like to say that I shop for the special people in my life with enough time to keep the experience pleasant and easy. If I know someone's birthday is coming up, or Christmas is around the corner, I may start thinking about things they might like a couple of months in advance...but then next thing I know, the big day is just a night away and I'm stuck in that oh-great-the-thing-I-wanted-to-get-her-is-no-longer-in-stock situation. I have gotten better as the years have gone by. If my daughter is going to a birthday party, I will make sure to get the gift a week in advance. And here we are on November 25 and I am heading out this afternoon to shop for Christmas presents. I will however, likely wrap them the day I am going to deliver them. I love giving gifts and feel especially happy when the gift I select is truly meaningful to the recipient...I just have shopping issues that go far beyond the scope of this post.

My mom used to buy generic gifts and keep them in the bottom drawer of her dresser. Beautiful unopened bottles of perfumes lined that drawer, along with scarves, shawls and those toiletry gift bags. You know the ones that go crazy on sale right after Christmas? Yup, she'd stock up and then if some unexpected event came along or people turned up out of the blue from out of town or she felt it was a gift-giving occasion (sometimes she just gave gifts for the sake of it!), she'd have plenty of selection right in her very own bedroom. These weren't gifts that people gave her that she was trying to recycle. She would buy them with the intention of giving them away. I used to think it was super weird and chalked it up to one of her crazy quirks but I totally see the usefulness in this...and I admire her even more for her generous heart. Underneath that seemingly odd practice, was a woman who just loved to give. She just liked to be more prepared than the average person for when the time came!

They say in time you become more like your parents - well, let's see about that. I'd have to clear out the bottom drawer of my dresser first!

No comments:

Post a Comment