Christmas Shopping

Call me crazy, call me strange, but Christmas is the ONE time of year when I actually enjoy shopping. I enjoy muscling my way into the packed and crowded stores at the mall, waiting in those long lines that snake throughout all of the aisles, and searching around for hours trying to figure out what everybody on my list might like. I enjoy the crinkling of the money in my hand, knowing that I'll be spending it soon - actually, at Christmas, I usually don't really care about my money - and I'm therefore usually not a very smart shopper. :P

And after maybe two hours of walking around and waiting in lines and spending money, my legs feel like they're going to fall off and I am incredibly tired. This is another part of Christmas shopping that I like. I'll head up to the top floor of the Sears department and flop down in one of they're comfy couches in front of the 50 inch plasma TV's and watch a bit of a hockey game (there is usually one on during the time I go shopping). Then I get up, despite the screaming protests of my legs and the rest of my body, and head down to the food court to grab a burger and root beer from A&W. They have the best root beer...:D

Point is, I LOVE every part of Christmas shopping - the crowded malls (this is totally against my nature, as I usually like being alone and hate crowds....), the Christmas decorations, passing by the Santa display and feeling sorry for all the parents waiting in line with their kids, the smells of the stores that I always visit (especially the bookstore), the smell of the food court, the weariness...and, of course, the satisfaction once I'm finished that I am done for the year.

Of course, this year's theme was "be as cheap as possible to try and save money for the upcoming youth conference that I really want to go to". I don't know why I decided to by Christmas gifts when I am trying to SAVE money...hmmm..<_< Oh well.

Why do I enjoy all of this, you may ask? I'm a very traditional person. I love traditions. I like knowing that I'm doing something that I've done exactly a year ago, and a year before that....

I can't really explain it any better than that. :)

Here is a poem I wrote as a tribute to Christmas shopping:

‘Twas a week before Christmas when Jimmy set out
On a mission quite dangerous and filled full of doubt

He snatched up his gear and assembled his guise
And gathered his cache of battle supplies

A neck guard he wrapped ‘round the base of his throat
And he draped on his shoulders a thick leather coat

Beneath Jimmy’s clothes was a chain mail gown
And he wore a hard helmet on the top of his crown

He picked up his sword and slid it into its sheath
Which he tied to his waist, tucked his shirt underneath

And then squaring his shoulders, he picked up his shield
And bravely marched out the door into the field

Jimmy walked to the mall on that cold winter’s day
Closed his eyes, and then entered the perilous fray

He fought through the masses of people and stuff
Ducking and dodging through all of the rough

And then out of nowhere a fist smacked his nose
A knee clunked his stomach as a foot crushed his toes

Poor Jimmy was hurled from Sportcheck to Sears
He flew to the bookstore and slid to St. Pierre’s

And young Jimmy knew, right there and right then,
He couldn’t survive through this dastardly den

On the floor of the mall, lying battered and bruised,
Our hero was carelessly tromped as he snoozed

But then he arose, all shaking and dazzled
His clothing was torn, he was beaten and frazzled

Yet onward he pushed, through the unyielding horde
He charged and he shoved and he slashed with his sword

For hours he tumbled and pounded and crawled
He clawed his way forward and though he was mauled

He gathered each one of the gifts on his list
And then with his money clutched tight in his fist

He wrestled his way to the final cashier
As shoppers all clawed and tore at his gear

With a heroic leap, Jimmy soared through the air
Over top of the crowd as they grabbed at his hair

He quickly paid for his things and ran out of the door
And then standing up straight, yelled “I’ve done it once more!”

Ciao!