Too tired to sleep:)
Eleonore Beaudoin
Man, do I need that time off work...
Only today as a full day of work to go, then 34 of a day tomorrow -depends
on who one has for a boss: never had this one for XMas before, so go
figure at hwhat time we can leave on Thursday: most people leave at noon.
With x boss we had to leave at 4 P.M., sometimes, her own boss
being jewish and refusing that Xtians celebrate XMas, put on decorations,
or leave earlier on XMas eve.
In this so big country, so many have to travel to get to their parents to
celebrate on XMas eve (tradition is midnight 24 to 25th for the biggest
thing of the year, and weather patterns are usually iced rain on 22nd or
23rd but most surely 24th of dec. that people want to leave in the day to
avoid accidents all they can), most places close at noon (stores, etc).
But really am lacking sleep since a few days, waking up in middle of night
yesterday, and again today if I slet a bit longer.
I fear I will have to spend my XMas eve big time and my xmas day sleeping.
Did some shopping yesterday as I learned of a family with 4 kids having
nothing for XMas. Could not do much, but managed at dollar store to get
presents for each as I could, if I have nothing yet for the dad. Only a cd
case for him so far. Managed to get the mom and kids about 5 presents
each, all under 2 bucks. As I told him, what matters most to young kids is
seing boxes and bags under the tree. The impression of them before they
are opened is what often remains in their memory. He agreed. I am sure
others will also contribute a lil something where they will get by.
Went through kiddo's list., to read it and think of what where only, so
far. Since I see him and sweet half only after New Years, I will have the
week off and sales to try and make do. His list is very reasonable anyway,
all things that do not look bad but are ranging between 1 and 10 bucks,
the only suggestions over that being one cd. lready found him one of his
suggestions at dollar store.
Also found a present for all sisters and a few other women in the family
at dollar store.
Will need to find somethign for my two brothers and for my mom. Then my
goddaughter. Her own two kids should already be spoiled rotten by
their parents.
Other than that, since we are 50 in the family. what we do is that
everyone brings whatever they gathered in the eyar for lil thoughts or
presents for kids and others, presents thatcan be given to just any kid or
adults, be it scraf, hat, lottery tickets, objects or tools (not power
tools, not in that budget range:)), etc, and we bring it all to the farm
where some of the new generation of adults (their turn!) help my old mom
to wrap the presents.
Was my job as a teen and young adult for ages. Snce I did not drink, they
sent me wrapping:). I felt I contributed that way, being too broke as a
student to buy anything, so I would buy paper and sotch tape and spend all
of XMas eve day wrapping enlessly. Used to be in the 300 presents with all
the kids my parents raised on top f us and all farm employees and their
family. But the XMas tree was always burried under presents. Still is made
that way, if there are no far employees per se, i.e. not living at the
farm much anymore these days, but occasional helpers, if the same regulars
and the new one here and there joining.
With XMas bags, the job got easier:). Some leave with the bags, needing
them to reuse the next year, but after some years, we manage to have a
reserve to put the presents in at the farm, some bringing new ones to
replace the gone ones the years before, and of course always bringing some
wrapping paper beause only bags does not always work no make it look as
nice as a mix of both.
I have a box and a bag of lil things I gathered in past years and
misplaced, foud as I sorted some of the boxes and drawers here and there.
A pendant here, a bracelet there, and the likes.
Sometimes on XMas eve, I woudl go to the second handstore nd find a ton of
plush toys for 50 cents each, as they needed to rid of the leftover. I
remember how it saved XMas for the kids and even adults one year as
everyoen got a nice plush toy, where adults were thrilled for many, to
receive such a thing for XMas, as it brought memories, specially for the
women:). Since they saw everyoen had one, they could not wait to see
theirs. And I ust say that the oens left were all original and funny:), so
that helped. They all were the very soft type, washable and all too. Some
needed a lil fixing, nothign bad, like a few stitches to hold tis scraf on
again or to redo that seam there, but otherwise were itact and as new.
Probably most were new and given by people thinking f the poor, where I
was lucky and fell on those at the last minute and did not feel then like
I took away from the poor kids in ths town:). Since plush toys are big to
wrap, that also burried the tree real good:), hehehe:)
But for today before the stores close and to ake it on time, I have to find
the dad of that family of four kids some presents...Can't go wth cds and
the likes, too expensive for me this year...Hard to find soemthing not
costing a lot for a man that yet can have some meaning.
He has tools and all that. If I had more money, I woudl hand him
cash.Makes for a boring XMas present though...And kids tend to think Santa
is not nice iof parents get nothing or only one present for one, and 5 for
the other, sort of thing.
Will have to think of something today...
And find it today too...
He will only be able to come by on the 26th to pick it up, but all stores
will be closed after I finish work on the 2th and on the 25, so....
Any ideas of thrifty pesents that yet make some sense for a man in his 30s?
Jared
wrote:
> Man, do I need that time off work...
I did my remaining shopping early this morning, and there wasn't much
traffic on the road or at the mall. Then I dropped things off, and
came home a bit after noon and the traffic on the highway going home
was ridiculous, just crawling for miles. And I didn't see an accident
or anything in particular.
Eleonore Beaudoin
> On Dec 23, 4:52=A0am, bc...@FreeNet.Carleton.CA (Eleonore Beaudoin)
Same here.
We finished at noon, but the drive was as bad for traffic as are the worst
peak hours when accidents, and yet I saw no accident.
Only saw one wacky driver this morning. Hunking at me like mad for taking
a claulated risk and saving the twitty one's life maybe and that of
others: he was coming on the highway at way way over the speed limit:
obviously he was not aware of the road suddenly turning into one lane
only, and the concrete wall that no oen can see until it is too lae,. one
of the concrete temporary wall they put up at such construction sites, but
where nothing warns no one of it being about to start, where i starts dad
in the middle of the lanes:(.
I saw him coming, knew I had plenty of time to get in front of him,
managing to prevent him form thinking of apssing me to the right as well,
else he woudl ahve hit the wall head on at that spee:(...He started
hunking from a distance and kept hunking alll the way until he saw the
traffic slow down and stoppign ahead...Had I not lowed the twitty oen down
he woudl have smallemed into peope or into the wall.
He remained quit the rest of the road: he apssed me after the dangerous
aprt, and I waved at him as he did. But he happened to be going downtown
the enxt cty and to eb ahead of me all the way there. He was still
speeding up, in a hurry. I was still driving pridently, uder the limit,
and woudl still arrive at each light right behind him, where I woudlw ave
again as he woudl lok in his miror meaning 'See? I use elss gas and make
it the same tiem as you, but I did not kill anyone getting here'.
After a few lights he got the idea and slowed down to normal speed.
Hopefully he remembers the lesson: the people you hunk at like a mad man
might just be happenign to save your life on XMas eve, nah:)
Otherwise, people were all more ivilised tday on the roads than usual,
patient and not burnign yellow lights.