As a holiday “bonus” I received a free $50 gift certificate to the gift shop at the museum where I work on weekends to supplement my theatre income. I appreciate free as much as the next person, and I certainly don’t mean to sound ungrateful for a free gift, but Ted and I have had this thing for well over a month and we’re having a heck of a time finding something to spend it on. We have three gifts shops in the museum and we’ve each been in them all twice to try to figure out how we want to spend it. We’ve had no luck.
You see, we’re not “stuff” people. We don’t like to accumulate random clutter, ornaments, figurines, or other junk that we don’t need and will only takes up room in our apartment. We much prefer to live simply and spend our money on experiences, events, outings, destinations, necessities, or things we really do want.
The gift shops all have very nice stuff, but none of it is anything we particularly need. Lots of books, IMAX DVDs, science kits for kids, games, rocks and gemstones, jewelry and vases, t-shirts, etc. So, here we find ourselves, with $50 that must be spent by mid-January and nothing we’re aching to have, even if it is free.
As I see it, this leaves me with two options. I can spend it on fun/educational future birthday and Christmas gifts for our young nieces and nephews, or I can buy 75 prettily-colored rock candy sticks, hang them from our ceiling, and use them as an innovate decoration with which to fancy the heck out of our apartment for New Years Eve…the likes of this:
They’re a pretty, innovative decoration and classy NYE bauble, easily accessible for a sugary snack fix, and they’ll look glamorous both hanging on a chandelier and jazzing up my glass of NYE bubbly. Then once 2012 has been properly rung in, they’ll make a tasty addition to my nightly dessert
I haven’t yet decided if I’m kidding or not.
Thoughts?
Books are always good. Something for your Morm on St. Valentine’s Day.