It’s crunch time. I’m only halfway done with my holiday
shopping, and don’t particularly care. These are all just items and objects. This
is the luxurious kind of stress.
Shopping for my friends and family is no problem. I know
exactly how to satisfy their needs and tastes. However, most of us have people
in our regular lives we’re not close to, but have that obligation to buy
holiday gifts for. Constant-contact co-workers, lovely neighbors, great new
acquaintances, etc. These are the types who used to be responsible for my worst
retail angst. Cologne? Lotion? Gloves? Xanax? A decorative basket filled with
tangerines and Triscuits? How the hell do I know what they could use, when the
only talking we do is small?
Many years ago, it all became clear to me. Chocolate or wine. If I teach you
anything, let it be: when in doubt, gift chocolate or wine.
Neither are unhealthy, neither are as impersonal as a gift
card, you never need to pay more than $25 for either, and - most importantly – you
get the peace of mind that neither will go unused. Even if it turns out the people
you give the chocolate or wine to don’t eat chocolate or drink wine, they’re
sure to know at least one person who does who they can re-gift it to (while
making themselves look good in the process). You don’t have to worry about your
money going to waste.
One holiday season, my first NYC boss at my first NYC job got
me an Armani Exchange scarf. “That’s a
little extravagant,” I thought, “We ain’t
tight. But, so what, he’s rich and I
do so much for him.”
Each holiday season, I gave him a bottle of shiraz or syrah.
His face lit up every time he opened the bag, lifted up, and studied his spoils.