Well, I suppose this title of this blog is a bit confusing since mama has vowed (for how many years now? a gazillion, that’s how many) NOT to give lots of little presents to the grandkids but instead give them one really nice book or art supplies or ONE game and then consult with their parents about a larger gift, again one for each kid, such as a tennis racquet or soccer clothes from the Roma store or a little set of garden tools, things like that.
So what does she do instead? She discovers a fantastic new store called TIGER that has so many little chachkas that it’s really tempting to pick up a little pencil sharpener here and a little notebook there and then some hair clips made of stars and then a plastic piano board that a kid can actually play and there she goes–off again to overkill in the present department.
AHHH–but this year, guess what? Mama actually surprised me by coming home with ZILCH from this great place and I know what will power that took on her part, especially in the kitty department where there are fake mice with bells on them and little balls that rattle and all sorts of kitty things that SOME kitties might actually like to FIND in their stockings…
But I’m proud of mama. I know that it was practically painful to go through the aisles in that colourful place and come out with only ribbon with which not to wrap all the presents she didn’t buy, haha.
But I can tell you this–that will power is going to break down around the 15th of December and she’s probably going to slink back there and check out those rhinestone hairpins for her little grandkid and that great soccer ball for her other grandkid and what is going to excuse it all is that most of the things in this amazing store are under 5 euros!!! In other words, cheap, cheap, cheap.
But it’s hard to hold mama back when those little kids are concerned, even if she vows to put that money away for language lessons or piano lessons or whatever else might come up in their growing lives.
In mama’s stocking she used to find a few walnuts, a tiny plaything that would keep her busy until everyone woke up have Christmas, and at the end, a huge, lovely orange from Temple, Texas and just peeling it would take enough time to let “Santa” finish his job…
But, in my view, it will be interesting to see if cutting back on so many gifts will have an effect on anyone.
Let’s hope so. Getting together with anthros and creatures you love is so much more important that a pile of things you don’t need anyway, right?
Well, off to help mama wrap a couple of things…I curl the ribbons with my nice claws.
This kitty has no idea how to wrap presents, for example! I’ll teach him…
This is how you do it, honey. Try again…
I’ll just rest here while you practice…wake me when you need help.
Our mom takes that need to shop for cute little things by filling Christmas stockings for the Salvation Army. She goes to one of the many dollar stores in the U.S. and fills up an entire cart with goodies. If your mom returns to Tiger, we hope it is for cat toys. XOCK, Lily Olivia, Mauricio, Misty May, Giulietta, Fiona, Astrid, Lisbeth and Calista Jo
That is so, so smart. I’m going to ask around here in Rome to see if they do that sort of thing for the needy. I know there is a soup kitchen on Christmas eve so there is bound to be a charity place for filled stockings!
You’re a wise kitty, Loulou. But we’ve heard grandparents have no self control buying presents for the grandkids. 🙂
Yeah, and they’re not even mama’s REAL grandkids but guess what? She adores them as if they were. Which means, yes, no self-control. I hope she feels that way in the pet store!!