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Merry Christmas to all

IMG_7299Merry Christmas if Christmas is a holiday you celebrate.

It’s a day of joy for so many reasons. The celebration of Christ’s birth, the getting together with family and friends, and a time to give unto others.

And for giving, Americans are into giving in a big way.

With 92 percent of adults celebrating Christmas in the USA today, it’s expected that consumer spending on the winter holidays will reach a record $902 per person on average for gifts, food, decorations, and other seasonal items, according to a survey conducted for the National Retail Federation. The amount is about $25 per person more than last year’s estimate and $16 higher than the previous record set in 2019.

Of the $902 shoppers plan to spend, about $641 is on gifts for family, friends, co-workers, and more, an increase from $620 last year, the survey reports. The remaining $261 will be spent on other seasonal items such as food or candy, decorations, greeting cards, and other holiday items.

Holiday shopping is so different these days. I sent an email to a friend who moved away to California about how we used to do shopping: Buy presents throughout the year, then put them in a big box and mail them. These days, we just order presents online.

My family has come up with codes in the people's names for packages so when several dozen packages arrive, they'll know who they are supposed to go to.

I’m fortunate this year to be spending the holiday with my daughter and her family in Sacramento. We had a fantastic gift exchange with lots of cookbooks. My daughter Mona is a wonderful cook and she received seven cookbooks. One was “Does This Taste Funny?” by Stephen Colbert and Evie McGee Colbert. It’s funny.

Another humorous thing. On my Christmas list, among the items I put on it were reporters’ notebooks and a camera bag. To think of gift ideas, I typed in "gifts for journalist" rather than "gifts for older adult woman." The list included reporters notebooks, which I'd been missing since I worked in newsrooms.

When I opened my packages, I got two camera bags and two sets of reporters’ notebooks – for a total of 24 notebooks. A case of miscommunication in the emailing for sure.

Merry Christmas everyone. I hope you’re having a great celebration.

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