O, Henry!

I'm no longer debating whether or not this will happen. It's time for a hair cut anyway, and my untreated "virgin" locks are still worth a pretty penny, even in a day and age where nice artificial hair isn't that hard to come by. I'm about to pull a literal Gift of the Magi - I'm gonna chop these thousands of babies off so I can give my loved ones the holiday they deserve.

I realized there was to be no more pussyfooting about the aforementioned cut while driving around today in somewhat of a lack-of-money funk. I was running various errands, being ever so responsible with my funds, but of course, there's still never enough. All of this reached a boiling point when I watched the woman behind me almost rear-end me because she was looking off to the side at a house or a bird or something equally unimportant. (The worst people in the world go out when I do. It's as if there is an alarm that triggers when I jump in my car, reminding all horrific drivers, vicious assholes, and my GPS to be on their worst possible behavior.) I'm not big on crying these days and haven't in ages, but I'll be damned if the tears didn't start coming.

I've been rigorously applying for jobs and trying to promote my marketable skills to friends, family, and even some strangers. I've been trying to find ways to make money other than selling my own things, but that's really what it boils down to. And really, in the end, I just don't mind.

I've got more than I know what to do with sometimes, even if I forget that more often than I should. Making a list of things to sell was much easier than I'd thought. It was even easier to part with the idea that these things are mine, even if some of them will still be in my possession until I can find someone who wants to purchase my material goods. There are piles of clothes waiting to be sold, a camera waiting to portait-fy families for the holidays, and a car that is a little rickety, but could still get a good value. Still, all of those things will take time, time that I don't necessarily have.

I know the purpose of O.Henry's story was to illustrate how love overcame longing for material possession, that Della and Jim sacrificed their most prized items because they loved each other more than their hair and watch. They didn't need to give each other gifts because they, in a sense, were already gifts to one another. (Awwwww.) I dig that. I believe in that idea, but I also believe that everyone's Christmas should be a day to remember. The gifts, well, maybe they aren't necessary, but a gift with meaning behind it can be everything. I refuse to give up on the idea that I can give these kind of meaningful gifts because of money. I refuse to give up the opportunity to make many others smile.

I'm not opposed to making homemade gifts on next-to-nothing, but right now I'm a little on the nothing side. I need a little bit of boost to get to that next-to stage, so hair selling it is. With over 22 inches, I think I can spare some tresses.

I long to let my loved ones know just how much they mean to me, but I understand my situation isn't the worst in this world, and I would never pretend it is. I would love to give to those people in more dire situations than myself. I promise to give a third of the profit from my hair to a cause more worthy than I if you all spread the word.

So get to sharing. Spread this link out far and wide, and find me a real price and a real buyer. I don't have enough money to get the hair cut until I have a buyer, but hell... I'll get my boyfriend to chop it off for me if I have to. I'm hoping to sell the hair for quite a bit of money so that I can give even more to a charity or family in need than the projected one-third mentioned above. Let's Magi it up together this year.