Christmas may be nearly two months away but companies are already vying for your dollars, insisting that they have that perfect gift for the hardest to shop for on your list.
The annual "top toy" list was recently released by the experts, full of gift ideas for children of every age. One new toy that is expected to be a popular choice is Mattel's new Barbie, which children can shoot and watch their own video on thanks to a camera lens on the dolls chest and a viewing screen on her back.
Among the toys for boys was one more noisy instrument to add to the toy chest - a stringless guitar for those moments when video games Guitar Hero or Rock Star cannot be accessed.
I saw a commercial the other day for a credit card company in which a couple could not find the perfect gift for one of their parents. They decided to send them the stadium seats from their favourite team - the perfect gift for the person who has everything.
What about the person who has nothing? I think that making a donation to a worthy cause on behalf of the person who has everything might be more appreciated than loading them down with more stuff - something that many of us in this consumer society have too much of anyway.
Organizations like Plan Canada make it easy to give actual gifts to people in Third World countries. Gifts of fruit-bearing trees, chicks, and clean water can be obtained on behalf of someone on your gift list and sent to a deserving family in Africa or Asia.
Too global for you? There are families in-need right here at home. The Weyburn Salvation Army provides Christmas Hampers full of food and toys for those families in our area who would otherwise not be able to have the kind of Christmas morning that so many of us are able to enjoy.
The Sally Ann also runs the Adopt-a-Family program, which has groups or individuals anonymously "adopt" a family in-need to provide them with a great Christmas, complete with decorations, gifts and Christmas dinner.
Lieutenants Michael and Melissa Mailman said that when families (usually single mothers) come to claim their hampers they are often brought to tears and promise to return the favour for a local family when they are able to "get back on their feet."
There are many options out there for that person who has everything - myself included. Of course, I wouldn't say no to jewellery!
