As I was sitting in the family vehicle waiting for my wife to come out of yonder shopping establishment I heard one of those idiotic jewelry commercials on the radio. It seems, gentlemen, that a lot is riding on this year's Christmas present. If you don't make it down to Jared or the Shane company before the day ends then you might as well forget any hope for a happy new year. And yes, you can be assured that on December 26th when your honey goes back to work she's going to be telling ALL her friends about what a crappy husband you are if you don't get her something in that 'little burgundy box'... or is it light blue? Well, whatever the case it had better be a little box and it better be colorful.
To be honest I was ready to dismiss all this as marketing hype and go on until I remembered one of my wife's stories. I'll spare the details but the point seems to be that there really are people who think this way. Apparently their lives are so chock full of great stuff that they need those $20,000 diamond earrings just to put that final cherry on top of the sundae. Do doubt that's how the people in the commercial felt when they get their small but colorful boxes.
Of course we, the normal people of the world, all know those yahoos are nuts. They're not putting diamond earrings on top of a wonderful marriage to 'commemorate their journey through life together' as one TV commercial puts it. They're putting on something sparkly and expensive-looking to distract onlookers from the garbage heap that is their life together. No woman in her right mind would rather have a diamond than 5 hours a week of her husband's undivided attention. You can pile up all the gold on the planet but in the end there's nothing more valuable to your spouse than the time you spend with them in frank and honest communication. Don't buy a bunch of gaudy gifts this Christmas; instead ask "How was your day?" and then sit and wait for the answer. When she tells you, commiserate; try to help if you can. Relate similar experiences. Try to share uplifting points from your day. When your spouse is having a bad day it's your job to lift her up and make it better. In other words, be a friend. There are no words a woman wants to hear more than "How can I help?" after she's had a rough day. Those 4 words can be a comfort to her for the rest of her life. The words, "I got you those earrings you wanted" will comfort her for about 60 seconds.
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