It’s been years since I started listing gifts for my friends for Christmas. The list is not to guide me what to buy for them but to budget my 13th month pay for gifts and other Christmas related expenses.
I usually do the listing by October, or sometimes, when I saw a thing that signifies a friend. I even revised my list, I would either add a friend, or change the gift that I am going to give. For a budget stricken person like me, I often allot P1000 to P1500 for gifts (gift to parents not included, that one is much mahal).
I have 6 god children, one of them is in college, so I am thinking of removing her in my list, but I found a book that would be so perfect for her. Mitch Albom’s For One More Day. The rest of my god children are from kids to pre-teens. But good thing two of them are in their provinces, which their addresses are unknown to me. For my youngest god child, who I missed its birthday and christening, I think I need to double my gift this Christmas. So I am still thinking what to give to a one year old boy, any suggestions?
I gave a scooter last year to my 7 year old god son, what will I give him this Christmas?
Aside from my god children gift dilemma, I still need to think more of my gifts to my friends. I have 2 girl friends, a shirt will be fine for them since they are medium built. But I already gave them shirts last Christmas, how about a bag? I also have three girl colleagues, one likes Eeyore, the other is a mother of two, and the other is half breed (a boy stuck in a body of a girl). I’ll look for Eeyore items for the first, I will look for porcelain or china ware for the mother, and a bag for a half breed or maybe a book about relationships.
But I already decided to give a cutie pen to an officemate for permitting me to ride her car to work. I also decided to give a book to a friend who bought my netbook. I know the book is not enough for the efforts he made just to purchase my netbook in Japan, remember the earth quake???
A Japanese friend will also receive a cutie pen.
I am planning to bring a cake to my English Class and share them with my studs, hmmm how about a bilao of pansit? But they are planning to have a field trip, I’ll treat them na lang kaya sa field trip? Aaaarrrgh! Ang hirap na!!!
How about my friend who’s going to tie a knot this December? Wedding gift pa pala!
How about my Tita, who is currently sick and my neighboring relatives?? Sweets and pastries na lang kaya? Food Junkie naman sila.
Eh yung officemate na nagbigay ng Aleph book? Anong gratitude gift ang ibibigay ko sa kanya? Hanky?
The lists seems getting longer na.
It seems that to utilize the budget, I need to invade Divisoria or Baclaran, or any Tianggian that is open. I know it is quite mura there and Recto for the books, as well. Just like we usually say, “Bahala na si Batman!”
