So the feeling comes back in your foot eventually, right? I now understand why women just give up and wear sensible shoes all the time, even with formal wear. I shall no longer mock the woman I see out at night, wearing her fancy sequined gown and her Easy Spirit cushion comfort loafers. That’s because tomorrow morning, she’ll still be able to feel stuff with her toes!! Not that I have a need to feel stuff with my toes…it’s just the lack of feeling in general that’s a bit disconcerting.

I thought I’d try something new this holiday season and actually wait to shop for everyone DURING the holiday season. I’ll admit, I don’t get the same thrill or sense of relief when I score a good deal on a Christmas gift in May. And it’s sorta embarrassing to give a gift without a gift receipt. Seems a bit jerky of me to say, “Here’s your gift and, like it or not, you’re stuck with it.” And then there was always the danger of me changing my mind about a gift…it just didn’t FEEL right anymore. So then I was stuck with a gift I needed to give to someone — ANYONE! — and nobody to give it to. And that’s how you end up with a pile of crap you eventually get sick of looking at and you haul off to Goodwill.

So this year, I waited. And now I feel like I’m constantly on the verge of tears. I don’t thrive on the feeling of panic — I shut down. I get overwhelmed and I literally can’t move. I’m not exaggerating — I LITERALLY can’t move. I found myself sitting on the floor last night next to a box of wrapping paper and no idea what I was supposed to wrap, wondering what the heck I was going to do while telling myself that I needed to at least get up and do SOMETHING because doing SOMETHING is better than doing NOTHING. And I couldn’t!

So to all the friends, family, and people I barely know but feel obligated to buy presents for — please know that on Christmas 2014, you will be receiving a present bought at a deep discount back in May. And there will be no gift receipt. Merry Christmas.