Christmas Shopping and Me

 

Last week Konnie wrote about finally starting her Christmas shopping and how she was four months behind. I would like to let you know that I am not that organized. You are lucky if I get my Christmas shopping done before Christmas Eve and I do most of it online because the stores are a madhouse in December, especially for those who need a mobility chart. Those are in short supply during peak shopping time right before Christmas which only goes to show I really should at least try to follow Konnie’s example.

She usually has all her shopping done by Thanksgiving! I on the other hand do my best to avoid any brick-and-mortar store on Black Friday and the day after Christmas because those two days are the ones most likely to be a madhouse.

And yes, I honestly avoid Black Friday sales. I always have. Just the idea of trying to shop when the store is that crowded makes me shiver. And I grew up in, and currently live in, a town most folks would call small. And I admit compared to places like Salt Lake, Tacoma Washington, or Norfolk Virginia, Pocatello is barely a spot on the map.

For the state of Idaho, it is one of our larger cities and a county seat.

Konnie has more cause to avoid the stores between Thanksgiving and New Years than I do because the crowds are considerably larger in Las Vegas than they are here.

That isn’t to say I haven’t lived in some of our larger cities. I have in fact lived in Tacoma Washington, Salt Lake City, and Norfolk Virginia. I have also visited Las Vegas at Christmas time. So, I can tell you the stores were more crowded than you could ever find here.

Though I have to admit, I never had a problem with Christmas crowds until I lived in Tacoma Washington. Nowhere in Idaho that I have ever lived could ever produce that volume of patrons for such an extended period. Boise maybe, but I’ve never lived there, and I really doubt it because Boise doesn’t even have near the population that these larger cities have.

And as I get older, I find large crowds disconcerting, mostly because the store may be out of mobility carts, and the potential of running into people trying to maneuver one of those carts in the crowded aisles.

It generally works to avoid shopping at peak hours. Around here that is around nine at night. I’m not always up to shopping that late. And not all the stores I shop at are open that late.

Then again, the one store I know for sure isn’t open that late, is also small, and rarely has more than one or two customers at a time when I go in. They also don’t have mobility carts, not that they need them, their store is pretty small.

Now in places like Walmart, Winco, and Fred Myers, it is infinitely easier to shop after nine at night. You won’t have to wait for a mobility cart.

However, if I were truly organized, I would make all my gifts. The only problem with that is I need to start in January to be able to manage that feat. Yeah, not happening.

I have managed to make a few of the gifts I’ve given. Others I found at the local Deseret Industries. They were nice things too! But, as much as I say I’m going to, I don’t manage to get my Christmas shopping, or making, done until the last minute. I should have my one of my characters do something instead of being super organized and always getting it done early like Konnie.

Anyway, happy writing everyone!