Must not make a point, must not make a point ....

If you look out the right side of our hovercraft you see the receptacle, at least in this room, for neck chains that are put on, taken off, changed about .... sounds kind've like the hokey pokey, I know.

The idea behind showing you this is to illustrate in what regard I hold some of my pieces (ohhh, now doesn't that sound all hoity-toity). Okay, I'll admit that the pendant you see on the left is my name in hieroglyphics and came all the way from Egypt so I'm partial to that one but as you can see even it gets perched rather than housed.

Why do I bring any of this up at all, you may wonder.

Well, not to make a point or anything - chiefly because this is an inappropriate time of year for pumpkins - I just wanted to mutter how glad I will be when international make-men-feel-obligated-to-buy-stuff day is over.

It's bad enough that Christmas advertising begins in October with ads designed to either have people feel obligated or lustful after diamonds and gold. Just as a side note, no, the wise men didn't carry those. You know, if there actually were any. Wise men, I mean.

What peeves me is the "and NOW reduced to $899 from a gazillion dollars". They do try to make it sound like a bargain, don't they. And how handy that prices drop specifically in December and February!

I'm guessing that it works for them or they wouldn't drone on year after year but having been in the line of fire in a real career at one point and having witnessed a buyer for a large retailer admit that jewellery is marked up a minimum of 300 per cent (yes that many zeroes) these ads make me a tad cranky. Oh and the company was facing a type of fraud charge under a business practices law.

So.

How about a handwritten note rather than a six dollar card, possibly mentioning sharing some sort of common experience; a trip to a cabin, tickets to an event you can make memories from.

I do believe all that glitters is not gold. Catchy phrase, that.

K, I'm done.