Making a list, checking it twice
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Staff Column
By Carissa Sitki
With my addition of a column a few weeks ago, I guess I’m back in the swing of writing a little something from my perspective again… at least for the time being. I should thank my late-cat for being an inspiration.
Now that I’m back, I’ve been faced with the familiar writer’s block that used to plague me weekly. “What should I write about this week? No seriously… what should I write about this week?!”
After a few moments of panic, I remembered that it’s better to just let the words fall where they may because, after all, an opinion column need not be emotionally-heavy or politically motivated, nor do they require extensive research.
I enjoy taking a “lighter side of things” approach when I write these. So yeah, hey, here we go.
This week I’m finishing up my Christmas shopping… and by that I mean, rushing to get all of the things I put off purchasing because I thought I had more time.
Ever since I was old enough to work for my own money, I’ve taken pride in gift-giving. Studying my friends and family throughout the year, taking diligent notes, following their every move— sort of like stalking, but not actually stalking because that would be a crime.
If my mom mentioned that a steam mop would make her life easier, I would add it to my mental Christmas list and she would find that new mop all wrapped up on Dec. 25. If my dad is working on a project, I will buy him a relevant tool. My method may sound simple enough, but it’s grueling work.
Sometimes I have 10 gift ideas for my sister and only two for my brother, other times I will finish my Christmas shopping and realize I’ve bought way too many gifts for one of my friends.
It’s a balancing act, trying to narrow it down to the most special gifts for each person, not going overboard by showering everyone in my life with a socially-unacceptable number of presents. I don’t want to appear crazy and my bank account deserves to see the new year, so less is more.
The past few years, however, I’ve found my gift-giving to be rather uninspired. Probably because I have a lot on my plate in terms of adult responsibility, but also because I’m not around friends and family as much… which is really sad to type out, actually.
Anyway, while my gifting may not be as solid as it used to be, I hope the phrase, “it’s the thought that counts,” will take some of the heat off of me this year.
