Assistance from the Assistants

The Christmas aura is all over the place and we're about to hit that one week home-stretch. Which means the time has come for me to have no clue about what to get my wife. I am finding this to be an annual event - not knowing what to get my other half for this season of giving - geez the difficulties we face in America.

Perhaps it's a glitch in my programming. Perhaps it's a male thing. I don't know, I don't care - I get a bit stressed because my wife deserves to have the warm Christmas morning feeling as anyone else does. But, this year, I may have found an answer: like Santa has his little elves - dad has his little helpers, and I will use them to aid in Christmas shopping for mom this week.

Image courtesy via CC

My spouse and I know each other pretty well by now, but this Christmas thing kills me. She is different than me in that there are only a couple of recurring themes that work for her. Otherwise, I have trouble determining what new gadget or experience she might want or use. It's probably some perfectionist issue, as in finding the "right" gift. Often it becomes this last minute rush to find something - anything - to fill a void.

So sad, I know, again it's quite the dilemma. However, the honest thing is that I don't think its completely my fault. Similar to most years, unless she gives off a little steam and provides a bit of direction, she is going to get some random gift that may work out, or may sit on a shelf collecting dust.

Seemingly, despite voicing outwardly that she isn't fond of surprises, I think that inside she actually likes them. It's part of the psychology of gifting. "Wow a big gift and then a bunch of small ones - neat!" Oops. Yup, gonna really surprise her this year.

And with her presence within a household of boys, many of the gifts she gets are usually fairly aggressive in nature. Wow, now that there is thought behind it, a lot of what she has received has aggressive tendencies. Action figures, Wonder Woman stuff, hockey sweatshirts.

I have often made attempts at getting things that have a "softer" edge to them. The slippers were cute, but not quite right, the lacy stuff was never really used, the clothing was too big... ouch, the Cd's get listened to once in a while.

Anyway as mentioned in the above title line, I will be recruiting assistance from two of my assistants and we shall take a mom-shopping spree together (but I get to drive).

There is extreme uncertainty regarding what she will be getting - but it will be different because for the most part, much of the input will be from my cohorts, fellow conspirators - partners in crime - and we will be thinking about her, not us.

Actually, this may be all I need for Christmas - the inner chuckle from seeing what these descendants might suggest.


(But dad, you and mom never open your toys... they just sit on the shelf. Some day I'm going to open them for you, for real, and then I'm gonna play with them.)