Sacrifice

This morning, the NYTimes front page had an eye-catching story: To Buy Children’s Gifts, Mothers Do Without.

I have to admit, I was feeling emotional from listening to NPR this morning. They had two stories in a row about how the struggling economy is impacting the poor. One featuring the rising costs of food prices and its effect on Boston food pantries. And the other on how food stamp usage in the U.S. is nearing an all time high.

So, imagine my surprise to see these as the opening paragraphs (emphasis mine):

Come Christmas, McKenna Hunt, a gregarious little girl from Safety Harbor, Fla., will receive the play kitchen and the Elmo doll she wants. But her mother, Kristen Hunt, will go without the designer jeans she covets this season.

For Ms. Hunt and for millions of mothers across the nation, this holiday season is turning into a time of sacrifice. Weathering the first severe economic downturn of their adult lives, these women are discovering that a practice they once indulged without thinking about it, shopping a bit for themselves at the holidays, has to give way to their children’s wish lists.

Really? I can’t believe that the New York Times is so tone deaf to describe not buying a pair of designer denim as sacrifice. What world are they living in?

The LA Times hit the mark a bit closer today: Frugal Santas find ways to stretch gift budgets.

Regardless, reading all of these articles, makes me appreciate the small, recession-proof bubble that I'm living in for the moment. And it was a nice reminder to sign up to adopt a family this holiday season.