Tim:

I know exactly what you mean. The pressure to garnish every holiday,

including the Hallmark ones, with free STUFF is rising. The rule in my

house is the one I grew up with: you only get STUFF at Christmas and

birthdays. At Easter you get a choccy egg. That’s it with the STUFF. This

attitude is now so old-fashioned, I suspect it will soon be illegal.

Nowadays I hear wails of: “Don’t we get ANYTHING? Ashley’s Dad bought her a

bike for St. Patrick’s Day!” In vain to I try to deemonstrate that Ashley’s

Dad is a moral criminal for filling his kids’ lives up with STUFF. The kids

think it’s their birthright to get STUFF seventeen times a year. I am

holding the line, but just barely.