Sending Christmas presents to grandchildren

December 13, 2021

I’ve been fixing up Christmas gifts for seven grandchildren. Wait. Let me go back.  

I’m 72 years old, and the burgeoning population explosion of offspring weighs on my soul, especially at Christmas, but also birthdays. Daunting! I’m a slacker!

I’ve also been hoarding stuff since I was 24, back in the 70s when I bought a bunch of newly-minted coins on the advice of a co-worker.  (A good investment, said Bill Moody. Always worth face value, but acquire value as collectables.)

I went to the bank and bought pennies, mostly, but all the other denominations in much smaller quantities.  Therefore, I’ve had a whole lot of 1976-dated coins stashed away all those years.   I rented a safe deposit box at First Bank Billings.  More recently I kept the coins on a shelf in our room, in an 8×10 photographic developing tray.  I also gave a granddaughter some actual collections of pennies and nickels.

Therefore, like I said, I’ve been fixing up Christmas gifts.  Coins for grandchildren.  Also favorite books, also a stamp collection I got from my late brother.  

Expense:  mostly it’s been purchasing postage from an affable Post Office man with a name badge, Dean, the man behind the counter at the Pioneer Post Office in our neighborhood.

Mailing rolls and rolls of pennies isn’t cheap.  Some of the packages weigh 15 pounds, perhaps more. Seems worth it to rid myself of the coins, while enriching my grandkids. Hell, if they want to spend them on video games it’s fine with me!

Oh, we helped one grandchild purchase a new couch for her bedroom.  She is a fashion-forward 14-year-old who got a job at McDonald’s to help us buy it.

And we sent some of our books to our other grandsons who live in Duluth.  Books we love that will help them make sense of our dumb world.

Point is, we’ve been spending minimal amounts (except for postage).  Big bucks there.

That’s how we continue to survive this Christmas, retaining much of the fun and frivolity, joy and happiness.  Without going crazy at stores or on-line.