I am announcing today that I completed my Christmas shopping with 11 whole days to go before the big day.
Are you proud of me? I hope so, because I’m proud of myself.
I’ve developed over time my own philosophy about the holiday season. It centers on my refusal to let anything about it stress me out.
So often during this time of year, I get the question: Are you ready for Christmas? My answer: I stay ready! I was born ready!
I grow weary of hearing tales of woe from friends, acquaintances and total strangers who say, “Oh, this time of year just stresses me out. I can’t take it! I can’t wait for it to be over.”
Really? Are you kidding? What about it causes the stress? Having to shop for those you love? Baking all those goodies you take to holiday parties?
Good grief! This is my favorite season of the year.
So, today I venturedĀ to WestgateĀ Mall in AmarilloĀ to take care of my shopping needs. I got it done in about three hours. How do I accomplish this? It’s easy, folks.
I write a list of things I need to buy; I plot my course throughout the city. I stop at each location on my list, walk in, make the purchase and then leave for the next stop on my route.
I consider Christmas shopping to be something like a surgical strike. I select my target, hit it, then leave. I’m a Delta Force commando shopper. Boom! In and out! Just like that!
There’s no stress doing it this way. I set my goal, meet it — and then declare victory!
So, my shopping is done! Now I’ll sit back and enjoy the rest of the season. I won’t worry about a thing. This is a joyful time of the year … the frigid Texas Panhandle weather notwithstanding.
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By the way, I looked for Santa Claus at Westgate Mall, hoping to see him fielding requests from children about what they want for Christmas. I didn’t see him, nor did I see any sign of that nimrod “pastor,” David Grisham, who made a spectacle of himself the other day berating parents and kids, telling ’em Santa ain’t real.
I fear what I might have done had I encountered that clown.
Not to worry. Tonight I’m a satisfied Christmas shopper.
Mission accomplished.