Another Christmas has come and gone, Charlie Brown has thrown out his pathetic little tree, and I find myself reflecting on the most important thing about the holiday – the gifts that I did or did not receive. You would think I am still 10 years old with the number of gifts I still receive from my mom. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining, I love my mom’s extravagant display of
generosity during the holidays and the energy she puts forth to turn the holidays into a magical experience each and every year. For all of those people out there complaining that Christmas is just a Hallmark holiday, I would suggest staying far away from my house at the holidays. My dog even receives more gifts than most people on this holiday. And we don’t just give gifts to give gifts. A lot of thought goes into this process. Hence there is a ton of pressure to find that perfect gift. This year, however, I really dropped the mistletoe, so to speak.
My sister is always a challenge. I asked for a pair of sneakers from her and decided I would get her the same in return. Over the years we have found that we have very similar tastes in sneakers. She seems to be generally enthusiastic about the sneakers I 
wear, and I usually like hers in return. So I opted to give her free reign to pick out whatever sneakers she wanted for me – brand, color, style, etc. My search for sneakers led me to a new model by Under Armor which I really thought were a slam-dunk as pictured online, but when I received them in the mail, I was slightly disappointed with the color and the fit of the sneaker, so I decided to keep them but look for another pair just in case. Like I said, the gift has to be perfect. I had a brief discussion with my sister during this
time at which point she casually mentioned how much she loves Nike Air Max sneakers. So I decided to focus my energy on the Nike Air Max, but after investigating this particular shoe I just could not envision her liking them. So I opted for the Nike Free Run in a flashy new monochromatic blue combination. We both are big supporters of brightly colored sneakers, and I truly felt as if these would illicit the sought after eye-widening response of delight upon opening them.
This was a big mistake and a common one that the majority of the population makes when gift-giving – buying a gift for someone that you like for yourself. So let me reiterate, despite the fact that she specifically told me she loves Air Max sneakers, I didn’t buy them for her because I, personally, really wasn’t crazy about them. Now this is where the story gets ironic. Christmas day is upon us, and it’s my turn to open the 
gift from my sister. Lo and behold she has chosen a lovely pair of Nike Air Max sneakers for me! Imagine my surprise. After feigning some interest, I finally caved and admitted they were not high on my sneaker wish list. In her defense, she had no idea that I was not an Air Max fan and she quickly rebounded with another pair of Adidas sneakers that I loved. Her turn! She opens the Nike Free Run sneakers and slowly pulls them out of the box. A slow pull is never a good sign. A fast, excited pull is a sign of enthusiasm. A slow pull is a sign of “how am I going to express that I hate these sneakers.” Come to find out, white-soled sneakers are unacceptable. So the Free Runs are out. I quickly grab the Under Armor box in hopes of rebounding as she did with the Adidas, but Strike 2, she really is not enthused with the Under Armor’s either. The solution is easy. She keeps the Air Max and I keep the Free Run. We both end up with the sneakers we bought for each other, but really liked for ourselves.
Even though I screwed up on the sneakers, the true meaning of the holiday was not entirely compromised since we both walked away with a gift we wanted. And isn’t that all that really matters?
