My teenage nephew and niece desperately wanted iPhones and mounted lobbying campaigns to get them that would have done any presidential candidate proud. For months, they worked their parents incessantly and intensely to get those treasured iPhones.
When they opened their presents on Christmas morning and found pay-as-you-go TracFones purchased by my brother for $8 apiece at Dollar General, they were not amused. Of course the iPhones materialized moments later and general hilarity and joy ensued.
My Christmas list was pretty short. I wanted a new wallet and a few ties and got them. I received a $50 Amazon gift card, which was very welcome--thanks, Mom! Discerning readers of this blog already know I'm an avid reader and I can stretch 50 bucks pretty far at Amazon.
Since I hadn't asked for much and didn't want much for Christmas this year, you'd think it would be hard for me to be disappointed with any of my gifts. You'd be wrong.
Three, count 'em, three people gave me the same lousy gift this Christmas. Let me preface this by saying that these are all people I like, so to get this gift from three of them came as a triple disappointment. It's especially sad because the givers truly believed they were being thoughtful and I'd be thrilled with their gifts.
In each case the person informed me that my Christmas gift from them was a donation they were making in my name to a charity they support. I can't remember all of them, but I'm pretty sure a food bank and breast cancer research were in the mix. In two of the three cases, I don't even know how much I "gave" these charities.
I'm sorry--I love and respect you guys, and I know you meant well, but that's not a gift. Not a gift to me, anyway.
Teri and I give a fair share of our money away. I'm not boasting, but we believe in supporting worthy causes. Ten percent of every paycheck goes to our church for starters. We also give to a number of organizations we believe in like universities and other charities. Teri doesn't know it, and we should have talked about it first, but the other day I sent some money so that inmates in a prison in Belize would have blankets. I've been inside that particular prison, and I know how needed those blankets are in that bleak corner of the world.
Having said that, how does you giving your money away to the charity of your choice equate to a gift to me?
I didn't get to select the charity, so I don't have the satisfaction or the glow that comes from performing a good act on my own initiative. In fact, I kind of feel bad that someone thought they had to give money away for me, as if I wasn't thoughtful enough to do it myself. Hell, I don't even get the tax deduction.
On the other hand, the givers of these imaginary gifts get the satisfaction of the act of doing something worthy plus the stinking writeoff. Plus they get to check an item off their gift giving list. Sounds like a win-win-win for someone.
As far as gifts go, what's in this for me, the supposed recipient?
Well, I got to write this blog post and come off as a grumpy ungrateful curmudgeon. That's something.
As one grumpy ungrateful curmudgeon to another, you have plenty of company! Oh yea, and when exactly were you imprisoned in Belize, but more importantly, for what crime? You think you know someone, and then this! Does Teri know you are an ex-convict?
ReplyDeleteI know the prison story, but making an unauthorized expenditure, even IF it is for a good cause like a prison or UGA, is a crime punishable by..... But it is a new year--a time of new beginnings after a season of charity, so I am ready to let HH off the hook--THIS TIME.
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