The Open Road

            I have always loved Christmas. I love the crisp, clean air, the way Christmas lights surround everything in a warm, festive glow, the always welcome break from school, and of course the friends, family and snow. Every year my family drives across country to visit my family here in Nebraska and this time we decided to do it in 34 hours. Now let me tell you, that is a long time to be cooped up in a car with anybody, let alone your lung hacking disgustingly afflicted diseased ridden sister. I'm afraid to breath around her for fear of catching her disgusting cold! So while I usually love our time spent together in the car, this time I couldn't wait to get out. Too bad I still can't get more than 10 feet away from her....

Our hotel in Evanston, Wyoming

        But this year I will get to share the pain with my delightfully eccentric uncle and my sister's Godfather. And as with most families, we cant help but argue. Personally, I like to call it witty verbal sparring with some extra passion added in but hey, call it whatever you like. For breakfast it was the merits of the MCATs which by lunch transitioned into the fate of Julian Assange. The obscure tangents of the in between were just as interesting. We did agree on one thing though- the necessity of a trip to the local mall. So we loaded up the car and headed off into the icy winter air.
          Now I love Christmas shopping. Like many, I hate spending money on myself but will willing pay any price to bestow a smile on a loved ones face. People say Christmas isn't about gifts but it is- it's just not about the gifts you receive. It's about the ones you give. Giving gifts is the same as spreading joy, and I love it. While some fret over finding the 'perfect' gift and assume it is somehow correlated with the highness of the price, I say pshaw! Everyone knows the trick to the perfect gift is finding something the person will enjoy because it is personally relevant and significant to them. It says something about you and that person's relationship. It means you pay attention when they talk to you, that you remember that time they said they liked musicals or wished they had a muffin pan. That you know what they like or dislike and can be creative and fun with it. The best gifts come from the best friends. And I dont mean your Best Friend, but that person who understands you in some special way and with their gift they give you a moment of happiness that makes it all worth while for them.
        So what am I giving you might ask? Well I'll tell you. A small bottle of wine for my Aunt and Uncle I secretly stowed away from a trip to Nappa we took together last summer. Personalized shot glasses from our trip to Florida for my cousin who just turned 21 and is reveling in his new found independence. For my eclectic grandmother who treats herself to lobster dinners courtesy of walmart, a silly lobster bib and a gift card with express instructions to be used ONLY for lobster purchases. For my mother, a pair of onesie pajamas she secretly admitted to still wanting and a forgotten perfume from my childhood. For a good friend back home, it's a giant Taylor Swift poster he would never buy for himself but deep down he knows he would die to have. And as the list goes on and on I can't help but smile and hope they love their gifts as much as I love them :]