My card group has a long-standing Christmas tradition. We gather in December at a member’s home for an evening of food, gift exchange, and—yes—sometimes we even play a round of pinochle. Each card player brings a snack to share and a gift to exchange that must not exceed five dollars in cost.
Having scouted around before Thanksgiving and come up with nothing for the gift exchange, I made a proposal at our November card meeting. Why not change the limit on the gift to ten dollars? “What? No way!” was the unanimous response. Now it isn’t that these women are cheap: far from it. It has become a mark of shopping skill among our group to come up with a decent five-dollar gift. Legendary among us is the year that one member gave a set of dishes as her gift!! Combining an after-Christmas sale with her employee discount, she managed this five-dollar coup. I, on the other hand, have been reduced to making table runners and wall hangings out of fabric scraps to obtain a decent gift.
“You are shopping at the wrong places.”
“You never find a five dollar gift when you’re looking for one. You happen upon it.”
“I think it is easier now than ever to find five dollar gifts now that we have so many dollar stores.”
These were the responses I received as I vowed to go to the after-Christmas sales and also to get some remedial help with shopping. Off to the stores I went, and my first five-dollar gift was an insulated coffee mug. It was cute--depicting a woman out Christmas shopping, it was practical, it alluded to the holiday season, and the price tag read “$4.99.” Score! When I got home and tried to take the tag off the mug, it was very stubborn and sticky, so I decided to soak it off. Hours later, when I checked the insulated mug, the sticker was still there, and water had seeped in between the layers and ruined the cheap, poorly made mug. I was back to shopping and out five dollars.
After that fiasco, I read through some newspaper flyers and found that a nearby store had lots of gifts for under five dollars. So I went there and found a couple of Christmas ornaments that met the cost requirement but were not that impressive. I bought both of them thinking that--if desperate--I would choose one of the two later, but I was not really satisfied with either. Now I was out fifteen dollars.
Finally, I found an item at a discount store that met all of the criteria: useful, attractive, and $4.99. It is a cook & store white porcelain bowl with a red silicone lid and a steam release button. Ideal for taking a dip to a potluck party, it also has the seasonal advantage of the color red. Phew! Mission accomplished. So, after spending $20, I have a decent $5 gift that I am not ashamed of giving. Now if I can just find a box to put it in.
2 comments:
That's great! $20 for a $5 limit!! I have the same shopping impairments that you have - so I try to either bring something foreign (even if locally bought) or I just fudge a little (...or as needed). Making something is above my skill level, so I'm usually stuck with either lame or useless. I opt for useless, if it's cute. Persistence is key, I'm sure!
You always make me feel better, GB. We had our gift exchange, and--as always--the gifts were lovely and thoughtful. No one would ever believe the $5 price.
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