Oh yes, the holiday season starts by October!

I quite understand the letter writer's position. I am "blessed" with a mother in law who feels that love is expressed through gifts every December. She has a special monetary formula for exactly how much it is appropriate to love each person on her list based on their degree of relation to her. Grandchildren may be loved by check once they enroll in a Post-high school educational program.

There is a carefully choreographed gift opening ceremony in which each participant must recieve, in addition to appropriate monetary value, an appropriate number of packages (so if one daughter in law has 12 gifts, each daughter in law must have twelve gifts.)

She is willing to buy me pretty much anything I ask for as long as it fits those criteria (although I have not tried requesting, say, a case of laundry soap) but she begins to be annoyed with me every August when she wants to have finished her shopping and I still have made no requests. She then begins e-mailing me photos of things she thinks I should want (almost never do). Last year I had to ask for three books I had planned to check out of the library. That was ok, because she expects you to get rid of non-reference books after you read them (why would anyone re-read a book?) and the bookstore gave me $5.

So far this year I have requested two large rubber buckets for the goats and a good stethoscope (also for the goats). If I can get close enough, she will fill in with fancy teas and chocolates.