Christmas Shopping

I want to pause and reflect on the shopping experience I had this morning. I needed to pick up a few last-minute stocking stuffers, and I wanted to get everything done while Aidan was at Mom's Day Out today. I spent a little while at the mall. I always see little things that make me laugh and that I want to share.

For instance? The first thing that caught my eye was a Proactiv kiosk, with gift-wrapped sets of cleansers adorning it. Now, who wants to get a box of Proactiv for Christmas? Seriously. That kind of seems like an insult. "Here, I thought you might like to get a handle on that acne this year." No, thanks. That's not really a discreet way to help somebody out, now is it?

And of course, every store in the mall has a giant banner in the window, advertising what a great present something from their store makes. It amuses me to see the ones in places like GMC. I guess for some that would be an okay gift. I can only imagine if I got something like that. "Um...yay, vitamins!" I'd have trouble feigning gratitude for that one.

Then there's the fact that you can get just about anything with High School Musical on it or Hannah Montana. You can give a child a Hannah Montana pillow, calculator, umbrella, t-shirt, etc. If you gave them a regular calculator or umbrella, though, they would not be pleased. Unless they were me. I'm pretty sure I asked for an umbrella one year. {What a weirdo!) I think the one I ended up with was teal...or aqua. Regardless, it didn't have an exciting theme.

What else happened on my trip to the mall? There was the usual waiting in long lines for no apparent reason. In every store that I made a purchase, I was the second person in line. And in every store, I waited for at least 10 minutes before paying. Why? In the first shop, the woman in front of me appeared to be returning and then repurchasing a gift card. I really didn't understand why. In another place, I waited behind a woman who I think was purchasing gifts for everyone on her list at one time. She needed a gift receipt for each item separately. I listened to the cashier count them out as they printed..."16, 17, 18, 19..." It was insane.

All that to say, my shopping is done, and I am glad of it. Now it's time to start packing...