TheBanyanTree: On the First Day of Christmas . . .

[Margaret R. Kramer]

Well, it’s not the first day of Christmas yet, but for some reason I got the
Christmas bug early this year and began planning the holiday.  Maybe I feel
this way because I have to go on a business trip for work in December and I’
m losing a week.  Maybe I just wanted to get a bunch of stuff done so it’s
not hanging over my head and I can enjoy the holiday season as it unfolds.

A few years ago, I would have been upset to see all the Christmas stuff out
at Halloween time, but now it hardly fazes me at all.  I’m beginning to get
caught up in it like everyone else.  A few years ago, I wouldn’t even have
started thinking about gifts until the week of Christmas, but now I will
have them wrapped and under the tree well before the big day.  I don’t know
if I feel like this because I have grandchildren now and actually Christmas
is more fun than when it just my son.  Maybe I felt like Christmas yesterday
because it was cloudy and icky, but not really cold, and what better thing
to do on a cloudy and icky Saturday than to go Christmas shopping.

I started at Old Navy.  I usually order the boys’ clothes from Old Navy
online, but this year, the online option didn’t have many good selections,
so I decided to go to the store.  Well, the store didn’t have much either,
although I did buy the older grandson some nice sweaters after digging
around a while.

The place was packed with aggressive women intent on buying their own
Christmas gifts.  In fact, everywhere I went yesterday was jam packed with
people.  I guess everyone wanted to get a head start on shopping yesterday.

I managed to find a sweater for myself (of course!) and I got gift cards for
my son and Susan.  The next stop was World Market.  I was hoping to find
candle tapers there for Thanksgiving.  Candles have morphed into those big
fat round ones and it’s getting more difficult to find tapers.  World Market
did have some.  I also wanted to find some Christmas glassware since mine is
all packed away in the garage because of decluttering.  I found some cute
plastic Christmas glasses and bought them to re-clutter my house.  I also
picked up some stocking stuffers since World Market has pretty cool and
unique things at reasonable prices.

I stopped at Office Max and bought some cool paper for my annual, but unique
Christmas letter.  I also stocked up on mailing labels and business card
paper.

The next stop was Cub Foods, a store most Twin Citians love,  but I hate.
It’s a warehouse food store and it’s too large.  People are crammed in the
narrow aisles with their crabby and ill-behaved children.  We found the
prices weren’t actually that much lower than other stores, but Cub gives
this illusion that they are.  I find the produce rots in a couple of days.
The meat isn’t that great.

I was only in this store because Ray asked me to buy Pepsi for him and he
had cut out some coupons for it.  The store was packed, probably with people
buying stuff for Thanksgiving.  I found an express cashier and expressed
myself out of that store as fast as I could.

My last stop was ultimate all time favorite store, Target.  The crowds were
thinning a bit by that time, so I meandered around the store trying to let
Christmas ideas hit me.  I found the boys’ clothes were actually better at
Target, so I bought some.  I grabbed some stocking stuffers.  And then I got
out of there.

After dinner, I went online and ordered some books, CDs, and DVDs through
amazon.com, my ultimate all time favorite online place to shop.  I ordered
our Christmas cards and I think I ordered the same cards that I used last
year, but I can’t remember.  I figure if I can’t remember, then the people
who I mailed them to won’t remember either, unless they keep cards.  Well,
it’s obvious I really liked those Christmas cards, I guess.  I ordered
tickets for a Timberwolves game and a Minnesota Gophers men’s basketball
game.  That was it.  I was done for the day.

I still have more shopping to do, but a good chunk of it is taken care of.
Today’s agenda includes going to the University of Minnesota Marching Band
concert.  Ray and I are taking the boys.  They’re not exactly thrilled about
it, because they don’t know what it is, but I think they’ll have a good
time.  Bands are fun and uplifting to listen to and they’ll find it more
interesting than hearing orchestral music.

Then it’s back to reality and work tomorrow, where there are no days of
Christmas.

Margaret R. Kramer
margaretkramer at comcast.net

http://www.bpwmn.org
Business and Professional Women of Minnesota

Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true
measure of our thanksgiving.
~W.T. Purkiser