When either my wife or I see something we want, we buy it, consequently that makes shopping for each other very hard. So, here's what we have done for the past 10-12 years............after she retired from her job, she starting substitute teaching at the elementary school where the grandkids attend. The local schools here have a program called "Angel Tree," in which kids who come from poor families that would not be able to afford much in the way of Christmas gifts for them, can apply for the names of those kids to be placed on a Christmas tree. People select a name from the tree, and there will be a card listing several things the child wants for Christmas. The things they want usually consist more of clothing rather than toys. There are no names, only a number on each card, and there will be an age of the child and the size clothes they wear.
We always select 2 names, and go shopping for them on Black Friday, although this year, my wife did about all of that online. We also usually buy a few things for the child that are not on their list, a little surprise from Santa doesn't hurt a thing. My wife and I were talking once about the sincerity of the Angel Tree program, and whether or not all the kids on their were truly needy. She said that once at school she recognized a second grader in a class she was teaching wearing some of the clothes we'd bought, and she knew this little girl was the one we had shopped for. She said that there was no doubt in her mind that the child needed those clothes, and probably more, as the family was very poor. Now, a lot of these kids come from families that have been affected by drugs, and parents who'd rather lay on their azz instead of get out and work. But, a little kid cannot help what their parent is like, and deserves a Christmas just like any other kid.
James ,
This seems far more rewarding than any gift you could give the Mrs.
