Ho ho oh no

I can attribute a hearty portion of my holiday melancholy to the stress of not having a single gift purchased. I usually am the one to have everything bought, gift wrapped, and in a tote, ready to load into the vehicle, by Thanksgiving. And if my calendar is correct, Thanksgiving has come and gone.

And the freaking out has started.

There are not a lot of people on my list. My parents and step-parents, my two nephews and niece, my grandpa, and my mother’s yellow lab (who technically isn’t a ‘people’ but I love him and he’s family). That’s it. Nine recipients in total…not counting people like the mail carrier who get the same thing every year and thus require no thought on my part. My friends, who like to exchange gifts, are being asked to please donate that money to charity. (Did you read that, friends?)

I did have one idea for my step-father. Last year, he wanted some new-fangled fancy coffee brewing machine but didn’t get it. So I thought that would be perfect for him this year. And then two weeks ago he decided that part of his health problems might stem from his addiction to coffee so, with absolutely no regard for my need to cross something off my list, he decided to swear off the stuff. What kind of a person does that, I ask you?

Today, I did decide on what to get my grandpa and the dog. The rest may just be SOL. Even my nephews and nieces can’t tell me what they want. They are all just being completely uncooperative. It may come down to, as Issa recommended, gift cards for the whole lot of them. Whoopee! Little pieces of plastic for everybody! Merry Christmas and a Fa La La La Letdown!

So, please tell me you’re having difficulty with at least one person on your list. I really could use even a small measure of camaraderie to help me through this most trying time. And what do you do when the ideas won’t come? Do you have a fallback gift that works for you?