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This Is Why I Stopped Giving Gifts On Special Occasions

Before you call me Grinchy McGrincherson, hear me out.

Kristi Keller
Middle-Pause
Published in
4 min readSep 14, 2024

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I realize brunch is best suited for mimosa-loving middle-aged people who can’t resist a good buffet. However, last week, I risked it with my 9-year-old grandson for his birthday.

He cracked a joke about going on a date with an old lady and then we ate a delicious meal together. I enjoyed catching up on how he busily spent his summer and listening to how he can now do backflips into a foam pit.

And then it happened.

He alluded to his birthday gift…which I didn’t bring…because I didn’t buy him one.

When he slyly brought it up, I asked him, “Remember that thing I bought you last year?”

He proved my point in one word — NO. He had zero recollection of what I gave him for his birthday last year.

I asked, “Do you remember where we went last time I saw you before summer?”

We went bowling, and he remembered right away.

Then I asked, “Do you remember where we went for your 7th birthday?”

His eyes lit up as he instantly recalled that we’d gone to a petting farm, got dirty with pigs and donkeys, and then took a September tractor ride through…

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Middle-Pause
Middle-Pause

Published in Middle-Pause

We are the voices of women who encourage, inspire, and empower each other to live lives of meaning and purpose. We are women in the middle.

Kristi Keller
Kristi Keller

Written by Kristi Keller

Write like no one is reading, because it might be true. Never let the truth stand in the way of a good story. https://wildhoodwanted.substack.com/

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