The Season of Green

One would like to think that the green in this season is representative of Christmas trees.  It's more likely that the 'green' represents the money spent.  IOW, 'Black Friday' is all about green money.

Today's 'capturing December' photo is supposed to be about green.  But before I get to the photo, let me talk about Christmas shopping.

I had a friend tell me recently that she has reached the point where if she cannot eat it or wear it, she doesn't want it.  I understand.  I have too much stuff.  Last week it was boxes for Purple Heart and today I had to wait in line at the Salvation Army drop-off.  I guess I am not the only one trying to clean house.

Several years ago I started giving gift cards.  They are like the no-brainers of gifts, but I enjoy going shopping and not actually having to use a credit card, just a gift card. 

I do not buy a lot of gifts for Christmas.  A few friends and my small family.  Still, it can be daunting.  Once your children no longer want toys and buy their own clothes it becomes the inevitable question of 'what do you want'?  And it goes on every year.

Tomorrow one son has a birthday.  He wants blinds for the bay window.  I gave him my credit card. When I asked what he wanted for Christmas, he asked for a gift card to buy furniture.  That is the kind of answer I like, except that I can only buy the card over the phone or go to a store that is 30 minutes away.  I think I'll write a check.

Today I spoke with another son who was talking about buying organic foods and shopping at Whole Foods.  I thought it would be a great idea to go online and buy him a gift card.  Not so easy.  I had to call them to confirm my identity.  They began by asking questions about a car I had in the past.  No way could I remember when I purchased it.  They gave me lists of names of people I never heard of and asked if I knew them.  Then they asked about the size of my property.  When I asked the person if they meant my home or the property it sits on, she said she didn't know.  Then they asked about another car and I told the woman to just cancel the purchase.  I can drive to the store tomorrow, which is five minutes away.  It will take less time.

I had this happen once before when applying for a credit card.  They started asking me about addresses where my ex-husband lived.  When I got irritated and told him to forget it, he told me that they would have to show that the card was refused by them and it would hurt my credit score.  I have never once used that card.

They say all of this information is public record.  I find that scary.  They are trying to prevent identity and credit card theft, but there is tons of info out there that it seems anyone can get.  Who do you trust?

So, green.  My living room is green.  It's relaxing.  Hostas are green and I posted photos of them all summer.  When I googled green, I found Wikipedia saying that it is the color of jade, emeralds, and grass.  So, that gave me the idea of a photo of green stuff in various shades of green, including money.