| ||||||||||
Dr. Ronald P. Rogers CHIROPRACTOR Support for your body's natural healing capabilities 270-384-5554 Click here for details 
 
Columbia Gas Dept. GAS LEAK or GAS SMELL Contact Numbers 24 hrs/ 365 days 270-384-2006 or 9-1-1 Call before you dig 
Visit ColumbiaMagazine's Directory of Churches Addresses, times, phone numbers and more for churches in Adair County Find Great Stuff in ColumbiaMagazine's Classified Ads Antiques, Help Wanted, Autos, Real Estate, Legal Notices, More... 
|
Carol Perkins: Equalizing Christmas Previous Column: A Mad Fit By Carol Perkins Keeping Christmas equal is a nightmare. "How many boxes did you wrap for Teddy? Is it the same as for Sue?" Equalizing ends up costing far more than expected because when the dollars don't add up favorably, what happens? Grandma (or Mama) buys another gift for Teddy, and when that gift costs more than the one for Susie, she dashes to Walmart. Leveling Christmas is exhausting. Counting boxes brings another complication. One year I spent almost to the penny on the kids. However, one had more boxes than the other, and that wouldn't "do." I added another box, which meant I spent more money on one than the other. Guy had to explain that the room was only so big, and if I kept buying, Santa wouldn't get down the chimney. I had the same dilemma with my grandkids until Beth (my daughter-in-law) explained that they weren't box counters, so I stopped worrying. The problem was inside my head. Some older children actually count boxes. One year, I witnessed a young boy throw a Christmas fit because his sister had two more boxes than he did, even though his gifts cost LOTS more. He stomped into his room, with his grandmother apologizing behind him. I bet she slipped him a hundred dollars. I was a visitor, so I kept quiet and wished I were home. Drawing names among adults is a relief, but if you get a hard-to-buy-for name, you fret because when she opens her gift, her face hides nothing. The year I was given a small canned ham from the Dollar Store, I acted as if it had come from Honey Baked Ham. I had people to feed. Another year, a relative gave her siblings and one in-law framed paintings/prints of different places she admired. Everyone but me. She looked at me and said, "I was afraid you'd put it in a yard sale." I smiled one of those "bless your heart" smiles. I got a beaded something that looked like it went on a soldier's shoulder. Parents of adult children often give money. I heard an account of a mother and father making a production of passing out envelopes, giving $100 to their children and $50 to their spouses. "I got the same as the grandchildren," the storyteller said. I would never do that. Guy is as bad as I am about making sure all gifts are equal. Exhausting. I doubt I'm alone. Share your thoughts with Carol at carolperkins06@gmail.com, or with CM readers using our Comment Form. This story was posted on 2025-12-05 10:14:29
Printable: this page is now automatically formatted for printing.
Have comments or corrections for this story? Use our contact form and let us know. More articles from topic Carol Perkins:
Carol Perkins: A Mad Fit Carol Perkins: Thanksgiving in Hiding Carol Perkins: Quilts for Heroes Carol Perkins: Hats make a grand day out Carol Perkins: Farewell to the Beach Carol Perkins: Ready to go home Carol Perkins: I'm Falling and I Can't Get Up Carol Perkins: Raindrops Keep Falling Carol Perkins: Relaxing at the beach Carol Perkins: Three Dog Night View even more articles in topic Carol Perkins |
 
115 Jamestown St. Columbia, KY. 270-384-2496 
 
  
 
 Provided by the Adair Co Fiscal Court and the Adair Co. Emergency Mgt. Agency 
|
||||||||
|
| ||||||||||
|
Quick Links to Popular Features
Looking for a story or picture? Try our Photo Archive or our Stories Archive for all the information that's appeared on ColumbiaMagazine.com. | ||||||||||
|
Contact us: Columbia Magazine and columbiamagazine.com are published by Linda Waggener and Pen Waggener, PO Box 906, Columbia, KY 42728. Please use our contact page, or send questions about technical issues with this site to webmaster@columbiamagazine.com. All logos and trademarks used on this site are property of their respective owners. All comments remain the property and responsibility of their posters, all articles and photos remain the property of their creators, and all the rest is copyright 1995-Present by Columbia Magazine. Privacy policy: use of this site requires no sharing of information. Voluntarily shared information may be published and made available to the public on this site and/or stored electronically. Anonymous submissions will be subject to additional verification. Cookies are not required to use our site. However, if you have cookies enabled in your web browser, some of our advertisers may use cookies for interest-based advertising across multiple domains. For more information about third-party advertising, visit the NAI web privacy site.
| ||||||||||
