So it’s the time of year when the Lovely Wife hands me a list of names that we need to get gifts for. Because it’s the holidays, you understand. We all need to be grateful. I was expecting to see seven or eight names. Ten at the most. I almost lost it when I saw fifteen. I understand giving a gift card to the Creature’s primary teachers, but is it necessary to give to the newly hired music teacher who has a once a week group session at my daughter’s daycare? It’s not that I mind tipping. I can only think of one time I withheld a gratuity in a restaurant (due to especially horrible service). I understand wait-staff are paid low wages and the fifteen to twenty percent extra goes to paying their rent so they can continue to go on auditions. Its just that it feels like we’re supposed to throw money at anyone we come into contact with. Truly ridiculous. 

Basically I’m going to do my damndest to shrink the list down to ten.