With the holidays right around the corner, I'm looking forward to seeing my family, and celebrating, but most of all, curling up by the fire with a good book. I've been helping brainstorm books to give my boyfriend's niece for Christmas, and I thought I would come up with a list of my 10 favorite books (in no particular order). What are your favorites? Let me know in the comments!
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Everyone has those people who are hard to buy for. If you're like me, you have at least one person in your life who buys everything he wants for himself, leaving you pulling out your hair trying to find something more meaningful than the yearly gift card. Here are ten insanely easy holiday presents sure to please everyone on your list!
1. Cabin Fever: If your significant other won't give you any ideas, or like mine, buy the things they want instead of letting you get it for them, consider taking a trip together as your gift. Groupon and Living Social regularly feature cabin getaways and cheap vacations, so you don't have to worry about breaking the bank. Plus, it gives you and your special someone a chance to spend some time together, just the two of you. Be sure to read the fine print including additional fees not covered in the Groupon or Living Social price, so you're not surprised when it comes to booking. In the aftermath of the San Bernadino shooting last week, it seems like everyone has something to say. Donald Trump called for "a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country's representatives can figure out what's going on." Politicians on both sides of the aisle have responded. News outlets have covered the story from every angle, from the extremely mundane to the heartwarming.
But in all of these stories, in all of this coverage, aren't we perpetuating a problem that permeates all levels of society - the problem of defining people by a single characteristic? Many of these stories lump human beings into categories: "Muslim," "Christian," "Nazis," "Jews," etc. Isn't that part of the problem? For example, I am Jewish. I'm a social liberal who tends towards fiscal conservatism in certain aspects. I'm a registered Democrat. I'm also a woman. I'm an advertising professional. I'm a football fan, a hockey-lover, a book nerd. I'm a writer. I'm an ENFP. Which of these characteristics is my defining characteristic? If I had to boil myself down to a single word, which would I choose? The answer is none of them. Not one of those descriptions defines me completely. So how can we define an entire group of people, members of the world's second largest religion, by that one adjective? |