Not in my way, but in you own way

Katie unwillingly follows her Mom as she heads to the garage. This is what she hates about the upcoming holidays. She was supposed to be at a sleepover but had to cancel because of this. She was always forced to accompany her while her Mom went gaga over buying everyone, literally EVERYONE, presents. From sweaters to mugs to kitchen decorations and anything you can think of. No, Katie does not hate the holidays. She just hates that her Mom spends too much money, time, and energy on other people. Like, they rarely even get anything back. Katie even remembers a time when her Mom forced her to buy presents for her friends. Of course, she expected something in return. A friendship bracelet or even a sketchpad. No, she didn't get anything in return. She never wasted money on presents after that (except for birthdays).

And, of course, the DECORATIONS. Katie's Mom always buys new sets of ornaments even though they have, like, a thousand items of Christmas decorations sitting untouched inside their storage room. Saying that she's a hoarder is an understatement (Don't tell her Mom she told us that). Each year, she looks for brands that launch limited editions of Christmas decors. One time, a luxurious brand launched an exclusive set of Christmas ornaments that got sold out right away. They had to go to several cities to get one.

Remembering that time makes Katie roll her eyes. She is thinking that the same thing will happen this year. Her Mom heard about this Magic Christmas Village made of copper that goes on sale just for today. Katie immediately knew that her Mom wanted to get her hands on it when she told their whole family about it one dinner evening. Now, here they are, at 5 in the morning, on the way to the mall, to try to get one of this limited edition set.

"Mom, please, don't start a fight with anyone this year," she pleads.

Her Mom looks at her and gives her a reassuring smile. "No. No fights, of course. I promised your Dad."

"We'll see," she whispers. She is still unconvinced her Mom will be able to keep her promise this year.

To get that limited edition Christmas ornaments, a store manager had to call the cops on her Mom. Because she kept insisting that they were trying to keep the set for other "customers." And she said that the staff was rude and that the store management system was sick and even posed that she would break into the store and steal the thing. Katie's Dad was up for too many headaches that year.

When they arrive at the place, there are already people lined in front of the store. She still can't believe that she is here instead of spending time with her friends. Katie scans the people as they walk. They have the same sleep-deprived look on their faces. The only jolly people she can see are the ones who are excited to get their hands on this collector's piece. When they reach the end of the line, her Mom sets up two foldable chairs for them to sit on. Time check: 5:26. Plot twist, store hours begin at 8:30.

"Mom, why do you like doing this?" Katie asks after she drains 25% of her phone battery. She knows her friends are still sleeping because they stayed up too late last night, but she texts them still. Don't get her wrong, she likes spending time with her Mom, but this one event is too good to be missed. 

"Why do I like doing what?" her Mom asks back. She is busy texting her friends, squinting because she refuses to wear the eyeglasses she has sitting on her head.

"Why do you like collecting all these... Christmas things and decorating our house like Santa actually lives with us and buying presents for everyone. We don't even get anything from it."

"I don't know how to explain it. It's just that every time I get a hold of something rare, I feel really honored to be one of the few people to have it. And my heart swells with joy every time I make someone smile with a simple gesture like giving out gifts. It's not always about getting something in return. It's about making people happy and the happiness I get from it. Maybe someday you'll understand why I do this... or not. But I'm sure once you find that one thing you will always want to do for the rest of your life, you'll find the reason why I'm doing all of this. Not in my way, but in your own kind of way. So, I want you to find the answer to your question and tell me about it later, okay, Katie?"

Katie looks at her Mom in confusion. She did not expect the answer she got from her. "Okay, that is too sentimental," she comments. 

"Time made me sentimental," her Mom remarks and then continues fidgeting her phone.

Katie watches her Mom as she starts to think of the time when something as simple as hoarding limited edition items will provide her boring life of happiness she did not know existed will come. She always taught that her Mom always does it because she has nothing else to do. Her other kids are either off to college or working a stable job. Katie is old enough to take care of herself. Katie thinks her Mom has too much time to spare and has extra money to spend. It never occurred to her that she was getting anything from it. She did get something from it, not in a way one would expect, but in a non-tangible way. The year she stopped giving her friends presents because she did not get anything seemed too childish. It seemed as if it only mattered if both parties were involved in each other's business of giving gifts. No, it is not always like that.