If I Counted Correctly...

If I counted correctly, I could have attended as many as six gift-exchange parties this Christmas season! That means I could have given/received more gifts than I will likely receive on Christmas morning! While some of these events are a little more serious (nice gifts expected -- some now with a price tag of $25 or more), some are cheap ($.99 or less -- this year the BAG cost more than the gift I gave in that exchange) and some are utterly and completely silly (just ask my good friend, "SpongeBob SquarePreacher" -- he was "framed" I'm telling you, "framed!").

Why we keep doing these things, I don't know. It all seems so predictable and yet, there we go, gift in hand, laugh a little, get ticked that someone else stole the gift we really wanted (especially in those $25 exchanges), try to figure out a way to let people know what gift we brought (if we are proud of it and it was a "hit") and hope no one finds out what we brought (if the general consensus is that the gift was a dud). Then we go home and mutter something about how tired we are of "those things" and ask why do we keep going to them.

Now don't get me wrong. It's not that I'm against these festive little gatherings. In fact, in some ways having them may poke fun at how commercially "profane" we've made the season of Christ's birth in the first place. Actually, I'm good with all that now and then and frankly believe we need to poke a finger into our collective sides on occasion and query why we do what we do.

I guess what bugs me about this whole "gift exchange game" is the fact that I must now "count" how many I could have attended one of them (remember I could have attended SIX of these things this season) and question the general lack of apparent creativity on the part of us as hosts (just earlier tonight I hosted a high school drama department version of the exact same thing in our home -- so I admit I'm as much a part of the problem as the solution). Seriously thinking, other than the retailers of silly (or not so silly) gift items, is anyone just chomping at the bit for us to have another one of these things? I'm just wondering to myself here...

It isn't that I don't completely enjoy these exchanges or that I'm not willing to attend another one ever again (though I'm done for this year)... I'm just wondering if there is something else "out there" for us human beings to do as friends at Christmas time! Maybe caroling, maybe sharing Christmas stories, perhaps decorating a tree... I don't know -- let's come up with something different. I'd even go for a hay ride, but I'd wind up sneezing myself into oblivion!

I'm just thinking out loud and wondering if anyone else shares my complications with the whole "need for counting..." thing. One gift exchange would be enough, wouldn't it? If we were really honest with ourselves... aren't we maybe a little bored with the whole concept, anyway? I mean, I've been going to these things for years!!!

This next year I am going to commit some time to thinking of something new to do with my friends next Christmas. Who knows? Maybe you'll consider joining us and then you'll have to "count" and see if our gig will make your list of things to do!