FEATURES
6A
Feeling like a Scrooge
Dear Annie: Christmas used
to be a time that I enjoyed. I have
always enjoyed spending time with
siblings and cousins who live in
other cities and catching up with
them. Over the years, our fami-
lies have grown. Our older chil-
dren have grown, and they have
children of their own. Some of the
younger kids have signiicant oth-
ers who always join in with the
family celebrations.
My family’s gift-giving tradi-
tion is that we have a Kriss Krin-
gle type of exchange for the adults
and we all buy gifts for the chil-
dren. In my case, I need to buy gifts
for nearly 20 children/spouses/sig-
niicant others. I am on a limited
budget and honestly cannot afford
to buy gifts for everyone, yet I still
do because I am reluctant to say
anything about it. After all, Christ-
mas only happens once a year,
and I don’t want to appear to be a
Scrooge.
Summer is barely over, and I
am already dreading December.
I would love to get through a hol-
iday season without getting into
a lot of debt. Any ideas would be
much appreciated. — Broke but
Still Spending
Dear Broke: Ouch. My wallet
hurts just reading this. It’s wonder-
Dear Annie
By
Annie
Lane
Creators
Syndicate
Inc.
ful your family members are all so
generous and appreciate the joy of
gift giving, but Christmas shouldn’t
put you under an avalanche of debt.
I have a feeling you’re not the
only one in your family who feels
this way, so try talking to your sib-
lings and cousins. You mentioned
that some of the younger kids
bring signiicant others. If they’re
old enough to be dating, they’re
old enough to get a gift for a rela-
tive. You could include them in the
secret Santa. That way, everyone
spends less money and can spend
more time picking out one thought-
ful gift.
If your family is resistant to
changing up the tradition, you can
at least work on simplifying the
process and reducing the cost for
yourself. One option is to pick a
uniform gift, one you give to every-
one. For instance, you might have
everyone send you a favorite des-
sert recipe, after which you com-
pile them into a family cookbook
with photos and attribution and
print out booklets. You’ll be giving
people a gift that’s unique to your
family and that they can use for
years to come.
Dear Annie: This is about the
person who wrote about a social
group that has potlucks where one
member always takes more than
his share, getting in line irst, load-
ing his plate, gobbling up his food
and then getting in line again. Then
he makes sure he’s at the end of
the line after everyone else is done,
getting another plate so he can in-
ish up what’s left. (I assume he’s
the only one who gets seconds and
thirds.) The folks have asked him
nicely on several occasions to not
go back for more until everyone
has had a chance to get a plate, but
he doesn’t listen.
I would tell the rest of the group
to give him one more chance. Then
I would tell him that if he contin-
ues his rude behavior, he will be
excluded from the group.
That’s just my take. I am a
senior citizen, and I may not be
so tolerant of rude behavior as
younger people.
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2016
Tomorrow’s horoscope
By Holiday Mathis, Creators Syndicate Inc.
ARIES (March 21-April 19). Today is rife
with potential for emotional excitement. Steer
clear of touchy conversational topics and hot
buttons in general. Stay alert; some seeming-
ly innocuous items could have symbolic sig-
nificance to others.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20). The hardline
approach just isn’t working. Let things slide a
bit today, in the name of self-compassion. Do
the best you can, and let the cards fall where
they may.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21). When you’re
distancing yourself, you’re doing it for a rea-
son. More reality is often more stress. For now
it’s enough to be a kind observer of yourself.
What do you think you’re trying to accomplish
with your behavior?
CANCER (June 22-July 22). High-tech
scales can report water and body fat percent-
ages now. Regardless, what’s controllable in
the scenario is what always has been: what
goes into your mouth and how you burn it off.
This plays large into your day.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Extreme cuteness
has a way of melting your heart. So do ex-
tremes of pathos, need, affection, vulnera-
bility, softness, beauty and more. You’ll come
across remarkable instances of at least one
or more of these qualities today.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Studies show
that daily hassles can have a more significant
impact on health and well-being than big life
events do. That’s why it’s important to fix the
small things that are bothering you. Do it now.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). People who are
overly dramatic (or who, through no fault of
their own, just happen to need lots of atten-
tion) make it harder for you to choose the ac-
tions that will uphold values that reflect what
FRANK AND ERNEST
BLONDIE
THATABABY
SALLY FORTH
PHOEBE AND HER UNICORN
B.C.
LOLA
DILBERT
SIX CHIX
BIZARRO
MUTTS
NON SEQUITUR
BABY BLUES
WIZARD OF ID
ZITS
ROSE IS ROSE
you care about.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Food could
be and should be a pleasure. Instead of won-
dering what will work adequately for your next
meal, you want to delight in the daily practice
of eating. What would be ecstatic on the taste
buds?
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). The abil-
ity to observe external and internal informa-
tion is governed by different parts of the brain.
Switch back and forth often today. There will
be magic in the fusing of your outside and
inside worlds.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). You would
like to have more empathy, love and compas-
sion, but you also have goals to reach that
disallow you to spend too much time trying
to sort out and cater to those messy things
called “feelings.” There’s the rub.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Your friend
seems happy to accept what is. Why can’t
you be? Sometimes it’s problematic to have
this kind of mind that reaches here, there and
everywhere for answers, but thinkers like you
are integral to the human race.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). You’ll embrace
differences, dance with complexities and have
your way with the contrasts that make life so
interesting. With your open mind and big spirit,
you’ll accomplish unusual things.
THURSDAY’S BIRTHDAY (Oct. 6). That
part of your life that has been frustrating you
gets lifted and solved, and it will have you soar-
ing in big ways in 2017. Dedicate yourself fully
to a mental or physical fitness challenge in the
next 10 weeks, because this will favorably alter
your fate. Love bonds are made when you’re
part of a team. Leo and Aquarius adore you.
Your lucky numbers are: 7, 20, 15, 38 and 45.