This year, this Christmas, cash flow is a problem. But that’s another story, and shortage of cash is just one aspect of a less-than-ideal Christmas for us. The other is that we never quite feel relaxed around the holidays. Speaking for myself, there’s always anxiety about gift-giving. An avid non-shopper (living in Paramus, NJ, the retail capital of the U.S.) I have no idea what’s fashionable, or a good value or is well-made or highly regarded, with the possible exception of Mac-related peripherals which no one else in my households cares to receive. The other theory, or excuse, is that I just don’t care about most “stuff.” My wife has much better taste in jewelry, accessories and home furnishings than me so I feel rather unqualified to recommend, let alone purchase such items.
I’ve digressed. Speaking as a team, Jennifer and I would rather make merry at holiday time; give and attend parties, hang out and play board games while consuming fatty foods and tasty wines, and generally enjoy this allegedly family/loved ones-focused time of year. But we’ve managed to always focus on the stress our expectations have created.
This year was different. After deciding we were giving our boys one substantial gift each (a keyboard for one, and car money for the older one), and already having given the boys inexpensive ideas for parental gifts, Jennifer was determined to keep Christmas fun for everyone – on the cheap and with a minimum of running around. Sitting down with our two teenage boys, we powowed on a stocking-stuffers scavenger hunt type strategy. She envisioned six categories of gifts: Audio-related; Visual; Fun/Funny; Edible, Wearable and Nostalgic. Because we have a Five Below store nearby (like a dollar store, but items can cost upwards of five dollars), a $30.00 per head stocking stuffer budget meant we’d each buy a minimum of six, $5 gifts or several more at lesser prices.
Twenty four little pieces of paper later, my name was on six of them, paired with each category (Bruce/Audio; Bruce/Visual, etc.) just as it was for the other 3 “players.” Drawing from a tacky red fedora, we each drew six slips at random and headed for Five Below.
Just days before Christmas, with the store pretty crazy, and the checkout line snaking through the store, we each furtively scoured the crap stuff in bins and on shelves, looking for something to fit the categories, while hiding our chosen items from relatives crisscrossing the store. Part of the genius of my wife’s idea was that two or three of us would ocassionally consult with each other about ideas. Is this appropriate? (”Who cares?”) Does it fit this category? (”Again, who cares?”) Though we were each on our mission, it was fun to bump into each other and talk or to zig, zag and avoid each other.
I won’t bore you (too late?) with what I bought that day or recieved on Christmas morning. What I take away from it all was a fun morning, with good natured teasing and marveling at how categories were fulfilled. Most likely the gifts will be forgotten, lost, broken or just chucked with age, but the low-stress, low-cost, high-return model will certainly be remembered.
As a print designer, I’m a self-described visual creative. But I don’t own the creative title around my house. What I’ve described above is but one example of my wife’s problem-solving abilities. But that’s exactly what creativity is, don’t you think?