stores start promoting gifts for Christmas in ads in newspapers and magazines and on TV and radio – and in store. Actually, there are some industries that should start promoting the ultimate gift for Christmas even earlier – airlines. You can always send a gift. But the most precious gift is not as easy to send – inviting relatives and friends to celebrate the holidays with you. While most people buy Christmas presents within their budget and they send those gifts usually allowing enough time to be delivered for Christmas – delivered by the post or special delivery. However, there is no delivery that’s as special as being with family and good friends bringing that gift in person celebrating “Presence” along with “Presents!” You can try to “Hug” gifts, but I’ve never had a gift hug me back. Memories continue long after gifts are worn out or maybe even broken. But good memories last forever.

An older relative or friend can have a previously empty room full of Christmas presents on Christmas Eve – but they’re still alone. It’s the presence of loved ones and friends that can wrap up a year better than the wrapping on a year-end gift. As you get older, you can always go online and order a gift for Christmas. However, it lacks the experience that I used to look forward to when I was a child – going to department stores on Fifth Avenue that were dressed up for Christmas – celebrating even before you entered – just by looking at the store’s windows. With buying online that great experience is on the way out. Part of the Christmas experience was walking up and down Fifth Avenue looking at the Christmas windows from B. Altman, to Lord & Taylor to Best to Bonwit Teller. That’s no joke – sad to tell you that Bonwit Teller is now “Bonwitless.” In fact, I still get pleasure looking at photos of me as a child looking at those Christmas Windows. (Yes, I capitalize the word “Windows” because they were that important to me – and still are.) I used to look forward to standing on line at Manhattan department stores to sit on Santa’s lap. Now sadly many Santas are standing on line – the unemployment line!

Having grown up in suburban New Jersey, I waited on a line – lines of cars with other children – whose parents were taking them to see Santa. I have to say it didn’t have the same charm and vitality of walking down lit up Fifth Avenue passing one Christmas window after another. I still can’t throw in my lot with a shopping center parking lot. Let’s face it, Santa and his gifts originally came in a sled – not a car.

Not only do I enjoy shopping for Christmas gifts, I also enjoy seeing the reaction of the recipient of those gifts. I get pleasure from seeing a little child start playing with the gift I bought them, or an adult taking a Christmas gift of clothes out of the box and immediately try it on. (In fact, I thought of buying bras for a lot of my pretty women friends in the hope that they may also try them on – right in front of me!) I get great pleasure buying Christmas gifts for family and friends. However, I get even more pleasure watching their faces as they open those gifts. This is an “open and shut” case of celebrating Christmas with family and friends opening their gifts with their family and friends. I must admit that I no longer dress up in costumes for Halloween. Now I dress up after Christmas so no one will notice – when I return Christmas presents in privacy, after all, greedy me still hopes that next year the same person may send me a gift I really like. After all Christmas is the belief in good – and a holiday of good surprises.