Christmas is Sunday. Sunday. Are you ready? If you’re not done shopping, not completed with your gift buying, all out of cash, no worries.
Susan Dromey Heeter
As I muse joyfully on Christmas, I also muse joyfully that I’ve come up with a myriad of ways to do some last-minute shopping with little or no funds. I find this Christmas Eve something of a challenge, something of an adrenaline rush. As a procrastinator, I’ve never been one of those people who shops in July, who wraps in August, who sends cards out the day after Thanksgiving. I like to wait, to challenge myself, to live on the edge.
Welcome to my world.
Experiences are always a good gift – the potential of a movie, a dinner, an outing can be wonderful. And haven’t gotten the ticket yet? Why not decide on a date and then promise that special someone something unique? Write, “July 4th – Boston Fireworks.” And, then – you’re done! Wrap your note with a sparkler. And, sure, a day in Boston might be pricey, but you’ve got a good seven months to save up, to research the cost of parking or train, to decide upon a lovely restaurant in the North End.
Done.
Why not make the old new again? Have a tea cup or two around your home? Grab a tea bag, a book you’ve loved, some cellophane and – presto – the gift of a lovely drink and a relaxing moment. How sweet, how thoughtful, how green.
I’m a big fan of using what you have – if you’re in Dover, you may have some wonderful Dover trash bags around your home. I once gave these vibrant green bags wrapped in red ribbon and they were huge hits. No one likes buying trash bags; your gift will appreciated – both coming and going.
One of my students gave me a great idea for broke, last-minute shoppers. A few years ago, he took his brother’s XBox game, lied when asked if he knew where it was and then wrapped it for his brother’s Christmas present. While his brother was understandably annoyed upon realizing this ruse, he was also relieved that he’d not lost his game permanently that it had not been stolen, that indeed he still had it. And then what was old became new again. Score for brotherly love.
There is always what I like to refer as the “Drummer Boy” option. Write a tune, sing a song, create a poem for a loved one. There is no price tag on talent but your innate gifts are sure to please. Cost? Free! Sentimental effect? Priceless. I’m working on a rap right now; my husband will be entirely thrilled. Time is money, people, and let’s face it, if you’re reading this, you’ve got some to spare.
So, bask in your options, enjoy your Christmas, and muse joyfully on that fabulous motto, “It’s the thought that counts.”
Merry Christmas from Joyful Musings and InDepthNH.org.
Susan Dromey Heeter, a writer from Dover who recently let her hair go au natural white, debuts her new column “Joyful Musings” at InDepthNH.org. Dromey Heeter is a secondary Spanish Teacher at Dover High School and the mother of two teenage daughters. Writing has been her passion since her English majoring days at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. Dromey Heeter has lived in The Netherlands, Alaska and currently basks in all things New England, including the frigid winters. An avid swimmer, Dromey Heeter’s great passion is to bring back body surfing as most children have no idea how to ride waves without ridiculous boogie boards. She also writes about thrift shopping and all things frugal in a column called “Budget Vogue” for the New Hampshire Union Leader.