Saturday, Nov. 24, 2012 - 7:33 a.m.

As always this time of year, my mind turns to how to minimize the Christmas consumer spirit around here. I wish I could do the following: handmade ornaments (made from recycled materials!) for the tree, as a project with Q; make festive cloth gift bags and wrap everything in those; handmade gift tags; compel my in-laws to not give me so much stuff; compel my mother not to give me so much stuff; have the official family gift (from the cousins) to me be a donation to charity.

I expect I will fail, for all the reasons that I usually do. Not enough time, talent, or energy to make things, and social forces beyond my control. Anything I can make as a gift, I should, but probably it wouldn't count as a real gift (well, J would love it if I could figure out something to make for him, but it's difficult to figure out what exactly that might be). And of course, requesting donations to charity reads as holier-than-thou.

May buy some cloth gift bags on Etsy, though. That would be something, anyhow.

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