Batteries Not Included

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You know you've reached the end of childhood when you receive household appliances for Christmas

Oh fine -- I'm being a bit melodramatic. I asked for household appliances actually! A great toaster oven / coffee maker / grinder / can opener that mounts underneath the kitchen cabinets!! Whooo!! Anyone need any of my old ones?

My Beautiful Christmas Family

Christmas has come and gone for another year, I have to say this is probably the most anti-climactic Christmas I've ever had. I opened some great gift cards and an $200 Ikea shopping spree for my new apartment -- all amazing -- but when i was done opening gifts I realized I had nothing to play with. Nothing to rip open furiously -- paper flying everywhere -- to spend the next 3 hours configuring my new toy while my Mom herds together chunks of discarded wrapping paper.

Is this how you become an adult? By gauging your Christmas spirit in terms of gift-joy? Who knows, I certainly don't plan to grow up anytime soon. In fact, I'm very skillfully ignoring the inclination that I should be searching for a J-O-B to put my recently acquired Public Relations degree to work.
Pish Posh -- that's for grown-ups.

Batteries Not Included

I've also found that there's this strange limbo-land at the end of college where you're unofficially not required to buy gifts apart from your immediate family. And even they might forgive you if you plead poverty.
Your best friend for nearly a decade? -- school loans are creeping up.
Your roomate? -- rent is due next week.

Ahh yes, it's strange -- but this series of one or two years at the end of your education somehow make you infamously exempt from buying each-and-every-single-person-you-know a gift. Oh sweet days of Ramen Noodles and pizza, how i love thee.

So while I may not rip open an Evil Kenievel Super Stunt Bike, it is a Merry Christmas -- or a Happy Christmas for you British chaps.
So I bid thee adieu -- I'm going to play with my toaster oven. Batteries not included.