Loose Ends
Ho Ho Ho and a bottle of ...
Susan Nienow

Oops - wrong song. Or after the shopping, wrapping and decorating is done, maybe it's the right song. And I haven't - well, I'm not exactly - um, I have no idea where I am in the shopping spectrum. I have a few gifts. And I have ordered a few via catalogs and the Internet. But nothing has come yet, and nothing is wrapped. In fact, the wrapping paper is still in the attic.

The main problem is that I don't have a list, so I can't cross anything off if it gets finished. I have bought one of these and one of those with no particular recipient in mind. The only good ideas I have had are things I have given before - more than once.

And who thought up the idea of getting a jump on Black Friday by opening retail stores at 4 a.m.? I haven't seen that hour since the last time we had a middle of the night thunderstorm. I am not at my best in the wee hours of the morning even at the thought of shopping.

One of my offspring can't take anything back to Africa that is heavier than a Kleenex. And it is summer there most of the year. So cashmere sweaters are out. So are socks and flannel pajamas. I can give her a gift card for downloading songs from the Internet. That's about it.

The other lives with his wife in a large closet downtown. So forget giving them anything that takes up space - like socks. I love buying socks. It is very mom-like. It makes a stab at taking care of my nurturing urge. Most of their belongings live upstairs in our house. When the seasons change, they come here to switch out wardrobes.

Usually I am recovering from Christmas card cramp by now. Well, not really "usually." For many years I did my Christmas cards over the Thanksgiving holidays and mailed them the Monday after. Those days, when I led an organized life, have come and gone, and I haven't started on my cards yet.

I have plenty though. I love holiday cards. I buy them during the "before Christmas" sales, after Christmas and when stores have Christmas in July. So I need to make more friends or open a shop.

I do have a gift closet upstairs for little things I pick up throughout the year. Sometimes I buy things I wish other people would give me - like multicolored sticky notes. I have a mild obsession for journals, photo albums and baskets. So I do hope my friends and family like them, too.

This drawer is also full of things my other half picks up at a salvage warehouse. He thinks everyone needs miniature screwdriver sets, balls of twine, cloths to clean the car and other "guy" stuff. He uses "stocking stuffers" for his excuse to buy these chance-of-a-lifetime bargains. I wonder who he thinks needs the can of car wax?