My family and close friends know that I love shopping for them. I will try very hard to gift people with items that they want or need, and, if they prefer to be surprised (or if they hate to be surprised as much as the Guv does), I'll work very hard to find just the right special thing.
Today, though, my holiday shopping buzz ended. Do you know what killed it? My daughter, my sweet Petunia, is expected to take a $20 gift to exchange to her Girl Scout Christmas party.
Twenty. Dollar. Gift.
When the troop leader, who is a total sweetheart (so don't read this is a criticism of her), mentioned that the girls would have a gift swap, it went in one ear and out another. But today, when I came across the item on my to-do list, I realized that I have a problem with the whole idea. Isn't Scouts supposed to be a service organization? Shouldn't they be buying Toys for Tots or something? The kids wouldn't know that they were missing out if they had a party without a gift swap. In fact, the kids would be excited if they had a party that involved packing lunchbags for TASK. I am sure of this, as Petunia recently participated in that activity at church and enjoyed fundraising for it, purchasing the most healthful items, drawing on the bags, and packing them. She was joyful for days when she realized that 36 kids in Trenton were eating dinner that night because of her efforts. We had long discussions about homelessness and hunger and how it is real and exists ten minutes from our house. While it's my job as Petunia's parent to teach her these things, it's also why I sign her up for things like Girl Scouts. I don't sign her up to give and get $20 gifts for no reason. This season, it's about more than stuff, and life should be, too. In my faith, we celebrate the birth, long ago, of our Savior in a stable. Kings brought gifts to him as he lay in an animal's manger. My belief makes me all the more certain that the Barbie that my daughter will bring home on Monday night is ridiculous when people ten miles away aren't eating tonight.
Really, I'm beating myself up because I should have objected to the gift swap right off the bat, and now it's too late. So, to right this wrong a little bit, I'm going to have Petunia make Christmas cards for her teachers that announce donations to some appropriate place... Teach for America maybe? And Doctors without Borders for the pediatrician, dentist, and school nurse? Anybody have an idea for tennis coaches? Or anyone else?
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