The Addison Cafe

Oranges, tangerines, or any sort of fruit should be considered off limits when considering stocking stuffers. It always feels like a dirty trick when Christmas morning you see your stocking hanging there, stuffed to the gills, only to empty it and have 3 oranges roll out.  Maybe it would be appropriate if you were celebrating April Fool’s, or if the oranges were the kind made of solid chocolate, but fruit is a big no-no during the holiday season.

I know, I know. You are probably wondering, “well then what DO I put in their stocking this year?” And I have an answer.  I have waited 27 years for this. I thought it was only a figment of my imagination until yesterday. Behold, “Flame“. What is it? It is a glorious new body spray fragrance from, no, not Chanel, Tommy, or Paris…Burger King is the creator of this bad boy. And the best part? It smells like a Whopper. At first I thought it was only for men, who love the smell of flame broiled meat. However, I soon realized that women were the ones who are in luck with this fragrant sensation. Wonder how to get a guy to like you? Want to get their attention? Get your long-time-afraid-of-commitment boyfriend to finally marry you? Two little sprays of this and you are set. Cupid is about to join the unemployment line and he won’t be able to blame it on the economy.

To add icing on the cake, it only costs $3.99. Save money this holiday season and smell like beef at the same time. Thank you Burger King.

(For those of you who think I am joking, I most certainly am not.)

Priorities. One of the main points of the holiday season is to remind us of our priorities. It is a time to remember how grateful we should be for our friends, family, food, and provision. Whether rich or poor, we all have something to be grateful for.

In response to this renewed awareness of blessing in our lives, many of us become excited at the opportunity to give gifts to others. Unfortunately, sometimes we get too excited. Every year it seems that fights and arguments break out between people fighting over that last hot ticket item on the shelf, or over who got there first. I just read this morning that a man was trampled to death at a Wal-Mart in New York by the crazed throng of Black Friday shoppers who broke through the doors in their rush to ensure they got what they wanted. The 34yr old man was an employee opening the doors.

This tragedy was of course an accident, but the devastation none-the-less reminds us that sometimes we need to step back and put people before our possessions. Something that is sometimes easier said than done. As the holiday season is now officially kicked off, I wish everyone a safe and joy filled time with those you love, and offer all of us a reminder to keep people our top priority.

Charity. Most everyone I know would agree it’s a good thing (hopefully).  It is definitely a nice theory, people helping people, sharing the things we have been blessed with. But when do you say “no”?  The fact of the matter is that there is no shortage of people asking for money. But saying no to a charitable organization can make you feel like a jerk (and I am convinced some of them play on this).

For instance, last night while eating dinner (of course during dinner…when else?) there was a knock on my door. Naturally I had just taken a big bite of an enchilada (from Trader Joe’s). I opened the door and before I could blink some young guy started talking a mile a minute with a sales pitch.  I made an obvious act of my chewing hoping he would take the hint. He didn’t.

Turns out he was a self-labeled “underprivileged” student (wearing very nice clothes) with a high GPA hoping to sell me a newspaper subscription so he can get “points” for college. And if I don’t like the paper during the trial period, he suggested I “lie” to get my money back. I tried to explain that it is hard for me to justify paying for someone else’s college education while I still owe 20k towards my own, not to mention the fact that I don’t read the paper (I am gen Y…c’mon, I get everything online). He didn’t like that. He also didn’t seem to realize that Stanford (only 10 miles away) recently decided to allow Californian residents whose parents earn under 100k a year free admission to the school (someone correct me if I am wrong…I know they offer something close to that). He shook his head like I was some sort of jerk and walked off. Sorry, I give to several charities, but not to potential scams where people are disrespectful of me, my time, and my money. Where do you draw the line on charitable giving?

If you want a great reputable place to find a charity that matches your heart or passions, check out http://www.charitynavigator.org.