Still sick, but I managed to make it through work today. Now I’m crashed out on the couch staring blankly at the computer screen. I finished my third book in as many days (trashy romance novels rule!) and I’m too tired to scrape my fat butt off the couch and get another to read. So the computer shall entertain me. I hope.

Tonight is the second night of Hanukkah. Have I decorated? Nope. Have I put the menorah up? Nope. It’s sitting in the box with the rest of the holiday decor. I’m just too lazy to take it out. I meant to do it last weekend, but sickness attacked me. The family Hanukkah shindig is this Saturday, so sometime before that I have to get gifts. Like I have the slightest clue what to get people. Wouldn’t life be grand if everyone had to make an Amazon Wishlist and I didn’t actually have to put any thought into a gift? Yeah yeah, I know. Defeats the purpose and all that. But really, my life would be so much simpler if when I asked what someone wanted, I didn’t get an "I dunno" every single time. Seriously, there has to be SOMETHING you want. Even if it’s way out of my price range, I’d be happy to get you a gift certificate to use toward it. I love gift certificates/cards. People say it’s thoughtless, but I really do love them. I asked for gift certificates this year, because I know no one will buy me the camera I want, so I figure I can pool all the certificates together and make myself a happy camper! Aside from that, I love being able to spend them on whatever it is I feel I need, whenever I feel I need it. Last year I used my Target gift cards to buy medicine when I was broke. Probably not the idea the gifter had in mind, but I loved it. It also saves me from pretending I like a gift that I really dislike, and then taking it back to get something I do like. Granted, I’ve received quite a few gifts that I actually liked. And that’s fine! But if you don’t tell me what you want, I don’t want to give you something you’re going to fake smile at, and then return. Or fake smile at, and leave in the plastic in the back of your closet for years to come. (You know who you are).

An for those of you who say celebrating Hanukkah AND Christmas is cool, think about this: As a kid, you get twice as many presents, right? (Our family didn’t do the one gift per night of Hanukkah. We just got one gift for the holiday) But as an adult, you have to BUY twice as many presents.  The celebration part is fine. I’m not complaining about that. It’s the monetary strain that comes with this time of year. It sucks.

So for those of you that I still need to get Christmas gifts for, your job is to tell me exactly what will make you happy. If I can’t afford all of it, I’ll give you something to help you get it. I’m completely ok with that. But if you say "I dunno," you’re getting cookies. Burnt ones. Maybe with a little mold on them.