I love Christmas! I especially enjoy watching someone open a gift that I have given them and seeing the joy it brings them (most of the time).
My wife is a “list” person. She wants everyone to give her a list of item she can get them for Christmas. On the other hand, I like to figure out what a person may want, or need, and get that special item for them. I want it to be a surprise when they open their gift from me.
With Barbara’s method, she never has to worry about getting someone something that they may not want. It also takes the work out of shopping for the people on your shopping list.
This year, since most of the grand kids are grown up now, we are getting a lot of gift cards. That way, they can go out after Christmas and get exactly what they want. I don’t particularly like that method. People open their gift card and say, “Thanks, now how much is this for?” Cash is better, but not the same as a gift. I send a lot of cash to my family located away from here. Mostly because some of them need the money. I know they are going to get joy from that.
When I get gift cards, I forget about them, leave them inside the Christmas card, or put them in my wallet and forget to spend them when I go into the particular store. I guess it is better than, “Another tie”, “What a nice pair of socks”, “This belt is just what I needed”. Dads, grand-fathers or men in general, sometimes get the short end of the stick when it comes to gifts. When I think about it, Barbara’s method and the gift card method work well for men on your list. As I have said many times, “It’s the thought that counts!”
Merry Christmas & Happy Gift Opening!
Car And Racing Update
I have decided to repair the crack in the oil pan (again) and run through the opening half of the racing season. After the Father’s Day Race, I will decide what to do with the engine. That will give me time to accumulate parts to build my dream “565 CID BBC”!
It is getting real close to time for me to hang it up for driving on the track. I may still test periodically, but only under ideal conditions and just for fun or troubleshooting. After the Father’s Day Race in June 2014, I will not drive any more in competition.