Mr. Grinch

So, this post may cause many to question my "Christmas Spirit" as it is often called, but can I just say that I hate Christmas shopping? I love giving gifts, I love thinking about the unique things others might like to see under the tree, I even love the hustle and bustle of the busy stores. What I detest is that feeling of having a million people touch the items I want to buy before I buy them. There is the feeling as well of buying that thing a million people have touched and decided not to buy and then wondering what is wrong with you or with the item that made you want to buy it. Then there are the pushers. You know the kind I am talking about. Those pushy sales ladies who want you to get their store's credit card to save 3 gazillion percent on your purchase today. Then there are the aisle parkers. These are the ladies who park their shopping cart dead center in the very aisle you need to be in and then proceed to read and analyze the calorie content of the fruitcake they have selected off the shelf. Then, of course, you have the casual conversation starters. These are the people who see you pick up something off the shelf and try to have an in-depth conversation about how "your father will just love that" or "I gave that to my cousin Melvin last Christmas and it gave him a rash" or "that shade would not look good on your skin." Then, there are the grabbers. These are the people who follow close behind your cart in the store and circle you like a vulture. The minute you put something down they go and snatch it up to see if they want the cast off item you have left behind. To add to the madness, you of course have a symphony of noises. You have a distasteful version of "Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer" playing in the background. Somewhere, in every single store, a child will be screaming while the mom of that child tries to placate him/her, but to no avail. Sneezing and coughing abound...they sort of round out to percussion section of this symphony of Christmas shopping.
However, lest you worry over me, let me just say that today, even though I encountered all the of aforementioned characters, I had a successful day of Christmas shopping with just a few small items to pick up before Christmas is officially upon us. Once I was home, and a Christmas movie was playing, and I had a cup of coffee and pajama pants on...everything seemed a little better. In the end, it was all worth it when the tree was lit and those very same packages I had fought the crowds for were wrapped and snuggled under the tree. Ah....Christmas.