No Gifts, Please

Well, it's that time of year when the following conversation occurs in millions of households:

"What do you want for Christmas?"

"I dunno, what do you want for Christmas?"

"No, I asked you first. What do you want for Christmas?"

Mr. Beau and I had this conversation over the weekend. We both admitted that we really have too much stuff as it is, that we often buy what we want for ourselves, and we both enjoy to give more than to get. Then Mr. Beau made a great suggestion. He does work with charities in town, many dealing with homeless children and orphans. Instead of giving each other more "stuff", why don't we take the money and go shopping for as many of the kids as we could. My heart melted and I quickly agreed. So now I open it up for anyone wanting to give me something this year... please, no gifts. I would rather you come to my house and spend time with me (or invite me to spend time with you) than to have more things around the house. My parents and my sister had already sent me my present, so I am taking the money and putting it into the mix for the children (thanks Mom, Dad, and Missy). If you really want to give me something I would rather you take the money and donate it to a charity. If you really, really want to give me something, you can pop the receipt in a Christmas card and send it to me. That would make for the perfect gift.