The big Christmas present for me this year was the Kindle. Iâve wanted one since they came out in the States a few years ago, but they were only made available in England last year. When I took on a contract a few months ago, I told myself that I would buy myself a Kindle to celebrate (it didnât seem right to buy one when the money wasnât coming in), but I was told to hold off until after Christmas.
I have a habit of buying myself things before Christmas. This makes shopping for me pretty difficult. If there is something I really really want, I will usually just buy it. The only time I wouldnât just buy it, would be if it was too expensive. In this case, it would definitely be too expensive for someone else to get it for me for Christmas.
I found myself more jaded about Christmas shopping this year. My entire life, Iâve heard the same complaints about Christmasâitâs too commercial. I never understood this as a kid, but when you grow up itâs hard to avoid. As a kid, the more stuff the better. As an adult, you start to look at how much clutter you have in your life and get tired of being marketed to.
I refuse to shop for presents before December. This often means a lot of panic at weekends leading up to the big day. I walk down a high streetâmy feet shuffling and trudging forward aimlesslyâwithout a clue about what to buy other people. Other members of my family are shuffling around with no idea what to buy me. I found myself thinking this year: âDidnât we just have Christmas?â
There is so much tat and junk at Christmas that it is actually an economy in itself. There is an entire product range that should be called âWe know you would never buy this normally, but since it is Christmas and you have no idea what to get himâwe know youâll buy it nowâ. The ads are all filled with perfume, celebrity autobiographies, and Jeremy Clarkson DVDs at Christmas time. Thereâs no chance you would buy any of this junk if you didnât feel you absolutely had to fill that gap in your Christmas list.
Christmas is funny this way. There is such a build up for the big day and everyone wants to capture the magic of their childhood once again with it. As a parent, Iâm very conscious of the fact that those magical moments are happening now for my kids, so I want the holiday to be as perfect as it can be. But, after New Years Day, you are left with lots of extra baggage and a tree in your living room.
I started writing this to say how cool my new Kindle is and ended with a rant about Christmas. Well, Iâll talk about the Kindle another time.
