Magical Gift Cards of Christmas

So, this is my 101st post. It took a couple of days to finally post again, but no specific writing buds have come to me.

On a KoL note, I finally received a tiny plastic from my Spooky Advent Calendar ~ whoo! It's a Tiny Plastic Gift-Wrapping Vampire.

On a second KoL note, now that the bulk of Crimbo adventuring is done, I'm feeling a little restless. While adventures are still important, they aren't as precious as in a speed run. It's losing it's purpose. I don't know how people never ascend and still keep interest.

I'm starting to look forward to Christmas. I think I did a particulary good job shopping this year, especially for mom, and I can't wait to see if she likes everything.

I had a huge internal conflict (I know, who else thinks like that?) about buying presents for the nieces this year. I haven't seem them recently to know what they like. And the girls are getting to the age that it's harder to buy presents. When little girls are young you can buy them a huge range of toys: barbies, coloring stuff, craft stuff, dolls and all sorts of accesories to go with each of these things.

Now they're becoming teenagers and you can only buy them so much nail polish. Who knows what they listen to, read or are generally intersted in.

Mom gave me a lot of flack last year for giving them gift cards, but Lisa said that was bascially they're favorite gift last year.

I don't want to be the person in their lives giving them gifts that they'll hate or never use. I enjoyed that for 18 years. Jewerly boxes for every birthday and Christmas is enough to make a person a bit jaded.

When I got these gifts where I just had to smile, pretend and say thank you I felt hurt. Hurt that they didn't ask my mom what I wanted. Hurt that they didn't know me. Hurt that they didn't care.

So that's why I get so frustrated when I'm shopping and can't find the perfect present for my loved ones. There was a news report that Miss Manners frowns on giving gift cards. It says I don't know enough to buy something else for you, or that I don't care. This seems to be the constant debate this year. Is a gift card good enough?

I buy gift cards to say I care. I care enough to get you something that you will like and use, not something I think is good for you.