i stumbled across this on a link led journey and love the sentiment in gifting all year long

http://benhewitt.net/2012/11/28/give-it-good/

ive never been to this site before, but really enjoyed this article
especially in the light of another christmas gone by

this year we didnt make it to any of our engagements for christmas
due to a flu that hammered us the week before christmas .. sickest we've been together in a long while
anyways we werent quite HEALED all the way by Christmas
and this took our plans down to NOTHING
besides a celebration with our immediate family (the boys)
we did nothing for christmas
and nobody dropped dead

the last few years
im just not that INTO christmas anymore
at least
not the christmas that requires a black friday shopping window, that extends clear into the night of thanksgiving, requiring folks who work retail to miss dinner with their families
stampedes of people fighting over deals
DEALS? really? how is it a DEAL if you have to trample someone for it

i dont like the frantic shopping
i dont like what it does to my bank account
and i dont like the pressure to perform
anxiety

anyways

the article says it better (much more elegantly) than anything i can whine on about