I’m not Scrooge, four presents are fine

No need to go overboard on the holiday gifts.

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By TAMMY MALGESINI

Inside my Shoes

Published on November 23, 2015 11:47AM

I’ve always loved the holiday season.

However, I don’t know if I’m just jaded, but it seems society has turned Christmas into a big gift grab. Honestly, I’m no Scrooge — ask any of my friends. I love to give.

Of course, like any kid, I enjoyed getting Christmas presents. Although, I admit requesting a big ticket item one year.

As a freshman in college I asked my parents for a car. I really thought they were gonna give me the keys to my mom’s car. A decade old red Toyota Corona, we affectionately called it Little Beep Beep after the Randy Newman song, “Short People.” I figured my mom didn’t need it because my pops drove her around the majority of time.

I wondered how they would present it to me. Would they put a big bow on the car or would they give me a new key chain? Maybe, I thought, they’d make it even more fun by doing a nesting box package with each box opened revealing a slightly smaller box until I got down to the key.

Nope, it was none of those things.

They gave me a wooden car Christmas ornament.

Recently I’ve seen something floating around the Internet called the 4 Gift Christmas Challenge. Some kids might be appalled with only getting four gifts. But if you think about it, that’s one more than the gold, frankincense and myrrh the wise men brought when Jesus was born.

The 4 Gift Christmas Challenge encourages parents to limit gift-giving to four items for their children:

1. Something they want

2. Something they need

3. Something to wear

4. Something to read

Looking back, my parents could have wrapped the 4 Gift Christmas Challenge all into one with handing over the keys to Little Beep Beep. Seriously, I wanted it and needed it — remember I was a college student without wheels. Driving gloves would have covered something to wear. And something to read, well the driver’s manual would sufficiently take care of that.

And, just in case my husband needs some shopping ideas this year:

Want: A Derek Jeter commemorative baseball;

Need: A box of black Pilot G-2 07 gel pens;

Wear: Altra Lone Peak trail shoes;

Read: “Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes Unofficial Guidebook: Rail-Trail & Community Guide” by Estar Holmes (the 2015 version).

Tammy Malgesini is the community editor. Her column, Inside my Shoes, includes general musings about life. Contact her at tmalgesini@eastoregonian.com or 541-564-4539.

Holiday cup: Pranked or punk’d?

Putting the Kutcher back in Christmas.

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By TAMMY MALGESINI

Inside my Shoes

Published on November 10, 2015 12:01AM

Have you caught any of the hullabaloo about the Starbucks red holiday cup?

A former pastor turned social media personality originally announced on Facebook (Nov. 5 at 10:56 a.m.) that Starbucks had lost his business and encouraged others to also boycott the coffee empire.

Joshua Feuerstein’s post also includes a link to a piece — “Starbucks ‘Holiday cups’ No Longer Contain Christmas References” written by Michael Cantrell on theradicals.com — that explains his sudden disdain for Starbucks.

However, it seems Feuerstein’s personal blackballing of Starbucks lasted a little more than an hour. In his follow-up post at 12:15 p.m., Feuerstein encourages people to join him in a movement he’s calling #merrychristmasstarbucks.

“Starbucks REMOVED CHRISTMAS from their cups because they hate Jesus ... SO I PRANKED THEM,” the post says, which includes a video clip shot in front of a Starbucks with Feuerstein clutching a holiday cup.

Feuerstein’s accusation against the coffee kingdom was in response to the company opting to go with “plain red” cups this holiday season. By the way, the cup is red and includes the green Starbucks logo, which, to me, displays the classic colors generally associated with Christmas.

According to the company website, the first Starbucks holiday cup introduced in 1997 featured “... a jazz-themed design in jewel tones of deeper reds, greens and blues.”

To me, this doesn’t exactly scream Christmas — other than the fact it included red and green.

The company website goes on to say, “Every year since, the cup has told a story of the holidays by featuring symbols of the season from vintage ornaments and hand-drawn reindeer to modern vector-illustrated characters.”

Starbucks notes people have been doodling images on their cups for years. This year’s “plain” holiday cup provides a “blank canvas” to further encourage the creativity of its customers, the website states. Starbucks has even held red cup contests with the winners receiving gift cards.

Although three of my Facebook friends “like” Joshua Feuerstein’s Facebook page, I had never heard of him until this whole Starbucks thing went viral. However, after browsing his page and listening to some of his YouTube rants, I have formed an opinion. I believe people like Feuerstein have a tendency to provide partial information and then dogmatically spread their version of “the truth.”

“Starbucks, I tricked you into putting ‘Merry Christmas’ on your cup,” Feuerstein said in the video clip, by telling the barista that was his name.

Personally, I just don’t get Feuerstein’s “prank.” He’s encouraging people to buy Starbucks drinks, then taking selfies with their red holiday cup and posting them on the Internet. So, not only are people supporting Starbucks by making a purchase, but they’re also providing advertisements by plastering the photos all over social media.

I’m just waiting for Ashton Kutcher and the old “Punk’d” crew to pop up any moment.

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Tammy Malgesini is the community editor. Her column, Inside my Shoes, includes general musings about life. Contact her at tmalgesini@eastoregonian.com or 541-564-4539.