Oh me too I used to love to buy gifts for people. I shopped all year long keeping people likes in mind. When I found perfect fits on sale I got them. I never spent a lot I’ve been on SSDI a long time. I did not expect gifts in return but I found that a lot of people resented my gifts because to them itmeant they had to reciprocate and they hated that. So I stopped buying gifts except for family.

I think the isolation is getting to mum. It’s just us two tomorrow. She’s been calling her brothers and family to talk. She prefers to visit in person because she’s losing her hearing and face to face is easier but the last couple of days she’s calling everybody. Thinking of family but not being able to get together with them is hard for her. I’m easy with that though. I’m a true invert and being alone refresh’s me. When I was a kid the families on both sides took turn hosting thanksgiving and Christmas. The gathering were huge and very crowded. So we had huge gatherings in our house. Also fourth of July and family picnics in the summer months. I don’t know when that stopped I think it was when we kids started having kids it just got too big. Both my sisters stopped with two kids and I had only one. So there was Fewer cousins and a greater age gap. And people lived farther away. So this year for mum it’s hard. Last year my dads side of the family hosed a cousins picnic the first in a long long time. I hardly recognized my cousins and never knew their kids who had had kids.