Christmas Shopping My Way

Christmas Shopping My Way

I'm not an expert, or a lazy bum. I'm just a little guy with a little bit of time to make the absolute best of something I'm just not built to do...

Wait Until the Mood Strikes!  I'm not the type that can start Christmas shopping in September.  I need the trimmings, the weather, and the urgent need to spark whatever nuclear reaction that it takes to get me into a department store.

You Got to Pay to Play!  Sure, I always work with a budget, but I'm not a big fan of searching high and low for the best bargain.  There's something to be said for the "impulse buy" at Christmas.  When I'm shopping, and I see what I like... I get it, and check it off the list!  Compared to most, this strategy causes me to pump a few more dollars back into this struggling economy than the average shopper... I'm sure the President loves me!

Always Have Fun With Store Employees!  None of this is possible without the worker who doesn't quite get paid enough to deal with "yahoos" like me, decked out in my Santa hat, rushing through the store to get it over with as quick as possible when they have to stay.  Every chance I get, I try and crack the joke, or say thanks, or make the goofy observation.  Its fun, and they need all the support they can get!

Beat the Clock!  When the mood strikes, and the "impulse buys" come quickly, and you're having fun at the checkout cashiers expense... Time flies, and POOF you're done!

The True Purpose of Gift-Giving... The way I see it, we're all paying homage to the Christ within each and everyone of us.  Whether its the way we share a cheerful spirit with a store employee, or hand that really great set of fuzzy slippers to the one we love; we are approaching one of God's wonderful children in a similar way that those "Wise Guys" approached the Christ-child.  We become "Wise Guys" too, showing folks our love and respect, as we say, "Thanks for being YOU!  Enjoy this really cool Yo Yo that plays your favorite football fight song!"

Actually, Friday Was Quite Bright!

I get the reason why it's called "Black Friday"... It's an economic thing, right? They, the company, ate trying to turn a profit ("In the Black"), while we spend the money, and go into debt ("In the red"). We started "Black Friday" a few hours early, and hit Wal-Mart at 10pm Thanksgiving Night. Frankly, it was more fun than I thought it would be! I shopped with my a,axing wife, and my two beautiful gals, and about three-million others who were running around buying stuff just because they could. I saw carts with boxes, upon boxes of Rubbermaid storage containers... Everybody seemed to be required to purchase at least one box for $6.88. There were folks with not one, or a couple, but 30 DVD movies. Everyone seemed to need a TV, and we're quite happy standing in a line in the frozen food section to get it. But as is the order of the universe, only 200 were privaledged to be given the right to spend the $298 on the 32" flat screen. I hope they're not disappointed when they plug her in. A 32" TV is actually kinda small. I talked to a guy in the checkout line who wanted me to think he was a genius for having spent $999 on a 55".

We needed a printer, and just before midnight, a few gentlemen rolled out a pallet of boxes containing hundreds of them. I giggled when my wife broke in one direction, and I in another to claim a spot near the stack of valuable, and yet cheap printers. For a guy my size, I was doing pretty well to muscle in on the prize, but Karen actually had her hands on one first. Again, in the order of the universe, we had to wait there next to the pallet until the stroke of midnight, when things magically become cheap! The girls and I headed for the checkout line to reserve our spot. When we got there it was actually very calm, with no line in sight, forcing us to wait on Karen and the printer to reunite with us. We sat next to cooler with the Red Bull in it and waited for her arrival. Then without warning, and I'm not exaggerating, hundreds of people with printers in their hands came rushing for the checkout. We sprang to our feet, and as Karen and our precious little printer arrived, we were at the end of the line. Yep, I failed in my only duty of the evening. We had to wait for another 30 mins. I saw a couple of old students from the high school I used to work at, and I had to endure the advice of that "expert" who went on to tell me that, not only did he buy the 55" TV, but he bought a 32" as well. Yes, he was one of the 200! BTW, he had two printers! Speaking of the 32" TV, actually said, "I'm not sure what I'm gonna do with it!". GENIUS!

Well, that's another Black Friday perspective... It was actually not back at all. We're a tad in the red, and it was actually a lot of fun... A real bright spot in my Thanksgiving of 2011! Post Script: can you believe that girls brought me home around 1am, picked up my Mom, went out for another round at a different store, brought her home a little before 3am, then went back out to find shoes! They're still sleeping. Oh, the printer works great! I'll complain about the evils of capitalism on another day! :)