It's The Thought That Counts.

As if...

What would happen if that were a true sentiment...across all holidays and all giving?

Think of Christmas with a "Thought" being the gift.

A card that says "I love you more every year that we are together and couldn't imagine my life without you in it. Merry Christmas." (disregard the fact that the card cost $3.95...the one with the seascape and the two pairs of footprints in the sand disappearing into the distance with the ocean on the left as a lone gull flies away in the upper right hand corner...the image is in black and white to evoke a bygone era of romance and ettiquette...that's not the point here...unless you got one of the 45 cent ones at Walmart...which would still miss the point but not by as much...the one with the vase of flowers in primary colors...obviously cheaper than the $3.95 one...but still consistent with the "it's the thought that counts" concept...)

Now, honestly...do you think for a minute, in our commercial culture, that a card would suffice?

Thank yous would be forthcoming with a kiss on the cheek for extra measure...but the truth of hurt feelings would linger just below the surface...for weeks thereafter...OY! ("OY" is a universally accepted form of expression used in both the Jewish and Christian cultures...ask any New Yorker...or, if you can't find one, someone from New Jersey or Long Island.)

We seem incapable of just allowing thoughts to be enough. Imagine getting a toothbrush for your birthday or a bottle of ketchup (please...someone, anyone, Bueller...explain to me the difference between Ketchup and Catsup...what...why...?) for Father's Day or today's newspaper for Mother's Day or, Godforbid...five paperclips for an anniversary gift.

"It's the thought that counts"

Sure...right. You'd never hear the end of it. At every occasion thereafter, to anyone who would listen:

"Did you know that Stanley bought me five paperclips for our fifth wedding anniversary?
What an A**HOLE!!!!!!!!!!"

No...our culture requires that we spend money we don't have on things that people don't need or want just so we can be assured that they won't think we're cheap and/or we don't care about them.

We're not (cheap) and we do (care about them...sort of)!!

We're just broke...temporarily (next year you'll get the Porsche...I promise...)

If we had the money we'd buy you diamonds and pearls and Chateau Lafitte and dinner in Paris and...

You get the point.

Now get busy...it's almost the 25th...run out and get those paperclips...you can usually get a box of 100...divided by five...that's twenty gifts handled...!

"Alice...I have your present right here...and remember...it's the thought that counts...!"