This Christmas buy nothing for anybody

[MineralMan]

80. No. I will buy gifts for those I love.

For my wife, I have a jewelry maker creating a necklace that I described to her. She works for herself, and creates beautiful jewelry. She owns her business, is the only employee, and works from a workshop in her home. I have no doubt that my wife will like it very much, and the money I spent will help that craftsperson make a living.

Is she a "greedy fucking pig?" I don't think so.

For my mother, I'm giving her a bonsai tree grown by a lovely gentleman in my old home town. My mother loves growing things, but is 88 years old, now, and can't really do gardening any longer. I called Mr. Nakimoto and asked if he had something that would be easy for my mother to care for and that was a blooming tree. What he suggested was a dwarf pomegranate. He explained that they had been bred specifically for bonsai, and produced pomegranates only about half an inch in diameter after flowering. Tiny leaves, too.

My father, who is also 88, is getting a restored photo of his grandparents, taken in the 1880s. After scanning it, I did the restoration myself, removing stains, blemishes, and bringing the couple back to show them at their prime. My father was partly raised by them, and he'll enjoy seeing them as he remembered them. I'm not spending a lot on this, but the frame is made by a local woodworker, who specializes in reproducing 19th century photo frames.

All of these people are in business. Are they "greedy fucking pigs?"

For you, I have a couple of lumps of coal. Just DU Mail me your address, and I'll gift wrap them and send them on their way to you.

I think you need to rethink your post. Truly.