I hope you all had a wonderful day of Thanks and after you had your bellies full of turkey and gravy, then went straight to the paper for the Black Friday ads. We cruised our mall at 845PM that night and with over a 1000 people already in line and the police there to end a few fist fights, we decided to go home, get in a few winks and head out at 4ish. We had a wonderful day of shopping. There is nothing quite like eating See's candy at 7AM - ask Keaton, he was in little boy-piggy heaven.
While I am sure most of you got a good deal of your Christmas shopping done this weekend - there may be some stray, hard to buy for people, still on your list. It is that time of year again where sometimes good judgement fails in the quest to find the perfect gift. You have looked at the same things over and over - and in an attempt to find anything. You might make choices that ordinarily would never cross your mind. Christmas can make us crazy. You want your gift recipient to like/appreciate/getwarmfuzzies from what you picked for them and maybe in conversation, they mentioned wanted something that sounded like you could surprise them with. Fight that inclination with everything you have...
A Purse - I watched a dad and son shop for a purse for their loved one at 8AM on Black Friday. They spent a good half-hour considering the pros and cons of each one. A purse is Something that you should never buy a woman unless she has pointed a specific one out to you. Having been on a quest for the perfect purse for most of my life, I can speak with some authority on this subject and having a man duo picking out a purse is even worse. The gift from this pair would be in the time they spent thinking about their beloved female and not in the final product - I hope they gave up their quest and gave her cash instead.
A Pet - This has happened twice to us - actually to my child when she was growing up. Once it was a dog and the second time, a cat. She was given the dog while I was gone and by the time I came home, she was so madly in love - we couldn't take it away from her. The cat was given to her under almost the same circumstances. To those who give animals as pets - all I will say is remember, there is always, always payback.
A Poinsettia - I have been given various plants as gifts thru the years. If you know me, you would know that the poor plant has a lifespan of about how long it is going to take you to get back to your car. After the giver leaves, the plant and I stare at each other, knowing the fate that lies ahead. I feel bad for the plant and the plant feels very bad for herself - not a pretty site.
In the last few years after years of Christmas gift given, I have wondered too about my choices for other people. I always try to give something I think the other person would like and I'm sure that I have not always been successful. It dawned on me that maybe I should give temporary gifts like food - here today, gone tomorrow. Things that don't feel the need to hang around forever. While I have been thinking that, I didn't do it. With my shopping mostly done, there isn't a single perishable gift in my bag but there also isn't a purse, pet or poinsettia either...
