...I Did a Bit Too Much Christmas Shopping Again This Year...

So last week, I had one of those moments where the universe decided to give me some serious déjà vu. You know how it is, buying all this holiday cheer and then finding yourself buried in wrapping paper and tags come January first? Well, here we are again... I started with a plan, honest, I made a list (which I didn't stick to) and tried to shop locally (but ended up online too much). But something switched on inside me as the tree went up... Maybe it's that holiday spirit they talk about, or maybe just my own nostalgia for childhood Christmases... Anyway, before you knew it, my credit card was maxed out. Not entirely, I still have some funds left over, but not a lot. And I've been trying to be more prudent with spending since... well, ever since the whole pandemic mess started. Now comes the tricky part: deciding what stays and what goes. There's this one gift for Aunt Susan that’s just too much, she loves hand-knit scarves, but the one I got her is made by a boutique in France... And it came with such a hefty price tag! Plus, there are these two toys I bought my grandkids, adorable and all, but they probably won't even play with them... I guess what I'm wondering is, how do you draw the line between generosity and overindulgence? Was I just being selfish... or was it really about trying to make other people happy? And then there's the guilt of maybe letting myself get swept up in this holiday rush without really thinking through the consequences. It feels a bit like I'm caught between wanting to create those magical memories for others and knowing I might have gone overboard... So... am I the asshole here, or is it just me? Or are all these holiday shoppers feeling that same pressure to outdo last year's gift-giving? Maybe if we all took a breath and slowed down a bit, we'd actually enjoy giving more.