Do not buy . . .

We are about ready for Christmas at our house. We finished getting the tree decorated nearly a week ago and I did some minimal outside decorating.

When we moved into our house ten years ago, Wife bought some wreaths to hang on the windows across the front. Every year when I take them down I say, gently, "Honey, before I hang the wreaths next year, you might want to freshen up the bows just a bit."  I can hang the wreaths but I don't fool with items such as bows.

Do you think we give those bows one thought during the year after I take them down?  Heavens no.  The fact is, most people don't get close enough to them to notice they are a little old and crumpled.  Maybe this year we'll go down, oh, say about August, and think about those bows.  Maybe.

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I've mentioned here before that I am not a very good gift receiver.  I don't care for gadgetry and electronics.  I check out most books I read from the library. Clothes? Wife can pick me out some clothes and I am happy to receive them but I don't go nuts over them.  She knows not to buy me stuff that has little horse labels or whales or things like that, because I think those clothes are so over priced and I don't want to wear them and send the wrong signal about myself. I'm a simple guy, you know.

A few years ago I started making a list of suggested Christmas gifts for myself to help my family.  I also included, to their amusement (and to Wife's disdain) a "Do Not Buy" list -- a roster of items NOT to get me.  Frankly, I think that's more important than the list of thiings to get me. 

Because if you buy me on the DNB list, you have no right to get angry if I don't use or wear that gift.  You were forewarned.

Anyway, in looking through the Target circular today, I saw two items that I would put on my permanent DNB list.

One is a coffee maker that makes one cup of coffee. I don't drink coffee, so I am sure I am uninformed about all the intricate details of coffee making and preparing, but here's what I find profoundly mysterious. There is this fancy coffee make that makes ONE -- that's right, one -- cup of coffee and it costs well over $100.  A Mr. Coffee coffee maker, that makes up to 16 cups, costs $16.99. 

We have a coffee maker because we have friends and family who drink coffee but I'll be darned if I'm going to make one cup at a time, especially at that cost.

I think the most baffling thing in today's Target Circular, however, is the "cake pop and donut hole maker." 

Even if you want one of these, I would highly recommend passing on it for now. I'll lay you odds you'll see one at a garage sale by summer.