gift giving

'tis the season to go shopping...

in that spirit, i gave myself some gifts: a long wool coat, super mario galaxy for wii, and more clothes. there's so much more to want -- to start, kitchen appliances, camping gear, and shoes...

gift giving is serious business. i like to think of gifts as bits of yourself that you want to give to someone else. you know, something unique and very personal. the stuff in stores, anyone can buy that. (though, a friend rightly pointed out, not everyone would think to buy things and sometimes its nice to get something you want but wouldn't buy for yourself.) still, homemade things, things that are passed down, or useless things that remind you of a time you spent together -- those are the best. probably not very functional, but what's a gift anyway except a gesture or celebration of friendship / love? (okay, i understand that they have other functions like social signals, fundraising, etc.)

it doesn't work on every one. and as i grow old and enter yuppie adult world, i find myself not working as hard as i used to to think of or find gifts. my gift giving philosophy is overly sweet, sometimes unappreciated, and socially unacceptable. in the grand experiment with eric sun, i mostly abandoned my silly ways (though i was still careful to choose things that had meaning to me), flexed my new spending power and tried to understand / do things the way everyone else seems to do it.

i'm not sure how i'll go about it in the future. i'd like to keep it special with every one i know. but, i'm really tired.