Hey there neatly-wrapped parcels of joy already sitting beneath a tree just waiting to be opened! Or, er, not, as the case may be. Welcome to this week’s Friday Open Thread, coming at you from the prime-time of gift-buying season. Look, here’s me, lost in the thick of said season’s prime-time!
There was this one year, back in the dim and distant past, where I felt relatively rich some time around October, and decided that I would make like my dear mum and ‘get organised for Christmas’ (though since I suspect she does her Christmas shopping in the January sales, I was already 10 months behind). I went on a week-long online shopping binge and as those carefully-chosen gifts arrived, I lined them up on the sofa, alongside the things I was hand-crafting. Basking in how totally freaking brilliant I was, I stored them away in boxes, which, good lord, I think I actually labelled, and felt like the best friend/daughter/sister/partner on the planet. My god, that was a good year.
This year, I began the delightful task of gift-buying just yesterday, but it’s still going kinda well, mainly because Edinburgh has this street with all the posh charity shops in one place, with even posher coffee shops neatly placed between them (my idea of a perfect day out in the city). A vintage blanket, a book about tree-houses of the world, Palestinian olive oil, old French CDs, a faded OS maps of my parents’ home town — the haul was pretty damn nice, and pretty damn cheap. I also got some wicked boots.
As for my dad? He’s into carpentry. So he’s getting a lump of wood. GENIUS.
So, tell me, dear ‘straddlers: how goes the gift-giving this year? Are you almost done crossing people off your list, or are you still checking it twice? What’s the best gift you’re giving this year? In fact, what’s the best gift you’ve ever given? Are you super-duper organised when it comes to stuff like this? (Does it make you feel like you’re turning into your mother? BONUS QUESTION.) Or, will you elbow your way through crowds on Christmas eve (again) to buy your dearest a copy of Adele’s 25? I want to know. I need to know!
But hey, also, maybe you’re not giving any gifts this year or you’re so tuckered out from shopping for them that you’d just rather not right now. That’s okay, too! As always, this is a safe space for you to tell me everything and anything about your life, including but not limited to: the story behind a cute photo of your cat (pic included), an amazing or awful date you went on since last week, how your test went, whether or not you’re going to the office party this month, and whatever else you really need to get off your chest.
How To Post A Photo In The Comments:
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