Today's Trade-Off Thought

A friend of mine sent me a link to a very nice bauble today. Now, I do like the occasional Shiny Thing, but as it's getting to the end of the year I've been thinking about charitable donations. It occurred to me: should I buy something I don't really need but will make me temporarily pleased or maybe commemorate this period in my life, OR take that same pile of (not insignificant) money and donate it to the Alameda County Community Food Bank? How many people will it feed? And why is the "standard" amount I consider donating so much less that the amount I would consider spending on an otherwise optional item?

Christmas is the time for...what was that again?

Somewhat against my will, I went to the Clackamas Shopping Mall on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. I'll admit I have a low shopping tolerance to start with, but mall shopping really fills up my endurance-o-meter on the double. By the time we had walked down the side corridor to the central mall aisle, I was done. Done with the noise, done with the bright lights and flashy wares, done with the palpable sense of desire and spending.

I admire my mother-in-law for her pursuit of suitable, useful Christmas gifts for all her grandchildren. What gets me is the forced timing and concentrated consumption of the season. Why now? Why once a year? And what are we really saying by showing up on December 25th with an armload of gifts? "I'm sorry I didn't have time to spend with you during the year, so here are a pile of compensatory gifts?"

I believe that the most valuable resource I have in my life is my time. Money I can earn (well, in most economies other than this one I guess). Things I can get. But TIME is something I have limited quantities of, and I don't ever get it back. So I choose to be with my friends and family - to visit them, to eat with them, to spend time with them. To share their lives. Not send them a physical item that will decay or be discarded someday, but spend a moment in their orbit, enjoying their company, and building memories that will last (hopefully!) longer than any object.

Winter is the dark season, the quiet season, the cold season. We gather at the solstice-time to see family, to gather warmth, and to reflect on the year. My friends and family have what they truly need. Save it, friends. Save your money and your shopping time for a drink and a meal together. Spend time with family. Spend time, and be richer for it.