Musing on gift-giving

[muckefuck]

For whatever reason, I have Ian McCulloch's "Close Your Eyes" going through my head. This reminds me of the time I saw the album Mysterio for sale in a cut-out bin shortly before my sister's birthday and talked my younger brother into buying it for her. When she unwrapped it, she saw the small nick in the jewel box and asked me about it. Without thinking, I replied, "Oh, they put that there so it can't be sold for full price," oblivious to my brother's attempts to signal my silence.

Of course, a moment later I realised what I had done. I recalled they days when I was a starving student who couldn't afford much more than a discounted CD for a gift and I blushed on his behalf. Those days are far behind both of us now, of course, but I'm reminded of them whenever I talk to our older brother. He lives on a fixed income. Whereas I can put off Christmas shopping, confident that I can walk into a store whenever and buy whatever I think fitting, he has to scrimp and plan for months. It's a responsibility he takes very seriously, which makes me feel more of a dork for treating it so lightly.

Comments

[prilicla.livejournal.com]

Well, if it makes anyone retroactively feel any better, I can assure you that I wouldn't mind receiving a discounted CD as a gift, especially if the person giving it had obviously tried to pick something I'd like. I do feel for your older brother, though--it's a lot easier to say, "It's the thought that counts," when you're the benevolent recipient than when you're the obviously-less-well-off giver.