i'm glad you feel the same way about the holiday -- my family (specifically my parents) are the same way, and it was always a little weird being the present-less kid around xmas when i was very little, but now as an adult i really appreciate what my parents built for myself and my brother. we are able to really enjoy the holiday as a family gathering and not get caught up in shopping angst, and at the same time it isn't about making a statement Against Consumerism!!11 or whatnot -- it's just how it is. it's just our family's tradition. and i'd like to think it made our holidays a little more sane. so glad to hear about other families that have done the same thing, it's nice to not be totally alone on this (when everyone else seems to be going mad with shopping lists et cetera)...

"that's wil wheaton, he's from the internet!" hahah, that is somehow perfect in its simplicity. nicely done mister wheaton!

my condolences wil... my cat patches is in her last days and we are all counting the hours until she's gone. i'm grieving terribly right now (anticipatory grief, they call it) so i sympathize with you. it's so hard... a lot harder than i ever thought it would be. we're with you. and fwiw, thank you for sharing in your grief, because it's helping me as well.