Christmas Shopping

Oh, the intersection of the holidays and dealing with odd relatives has started early for me this year. My sister and I have been corresponding over gifts for our parents, as well as for each other. My sister and I don't really have much in common, or know each other very well by this point. So our gift exchange for the past five years has been perfunctory and whatever the opposite word is for "heartfelt": stuff off my Amazon list, and a Barnes and Nobles gift card. Well, I got this email today:

I got "The Whole Beast: Nose to Tail Eating," so you can take it off your wish list.

In terms of my gift, I had to buy a score of "The Nutcracker" because it was checked out of the library. If you would like to pay for it, it was about $25 ($24.47 plus 8.375% tax).

I realize that this is, for all logistical purposes, about the same as a gift card. But it seems like a particularly (but amusingly) socially clueless way to do gift exchanges. Just to be a wise-ass, I might ask her if she can send up a receipt ;)--after all, it was $26.52, to be exact with tax.

Oy. Survival plan for New York: hide in my room working on a conference paper or thesis, and go to the City to hang out with Perlick and Air Force Guy.