Christmas Shopping??? What Christmas Shopping?

Since I returned from my little mini-break to Johannesburg (a post will follow later about that….) I’ve been catching up on all the blogs I follow.

I love blogs. Some of them I follow because of a shared interest, some because the people that write them are just so damned talented (and I’m not) and some simply because of the way they’re written. Whatever the reason, I relish that quiet half an hour when I sit in my sunny computer corner with a cup of coffee and lose myself in the lives of my blog friends.

However, the past few hours have made me feel ever so slightly uncomfortable. Everyone seems to be obsessed with Christmas Shopping!!! (I use capital letters to signify the importance…)

I know I should be running around like a headless chicken ….. but I’m not.

I know I should be tapping away at the internet, slowly watching the balance on my credit card creeping into double and then triple figures….but I’m not. That, in fact, would be pointless here in South Africa because even though you can access all the sites and make valid payments, the goods will never turn up on time – if at all!!! When I lived in the UK I did ALL my shopping (including groceries) online and it was wonderful. Here, however, is another story.

So, I hear you cry, how will I do my Xmas shopping?? Well, it’s simple. Next Thursday has been earmarked for the Great Shopping Event and I will leave home with DH at around 8am and hit our local mall with a vengeance. We'll start at one end of the mall armed with our lists.

Mine is THE HAVE TO BUY PRESENT LIST. This largely consists of stuff that if not purchased will mean me having the worst Xmas Day of my life as my children will whine and moan all day – call them spoilt if you want, they probably are!!! This, in my humble opinion, is not an option. No matter how far we have to drive and how many shops we have to crawl around, everything on this list will be purchased. Don’t worry, it’s really not that long. But it will mean  that both DH and I will have a wonderful, relaxed Xmas Day, our children will be happy and all will be well in our little world…..

DH will have THE DESPARATE PRESENT LIST. This is the list of stuff that we’ll end up buying for people because we can’t find anything else. Please don’t tell me I’m the only one that does this ….. please…. On it are the ever present bottles of wine, bath stuff and of course, pair of socks or hankies …. Am I the only one that still buys these failsafe gifts? Judging by the fact that shops still stock them, I think not.

By lunchtime both DH and I will be exhausted, VERY tetchy with each other and definitely not in the “goodwill to all men” frame of mind! We will dump everything into the boot of our car and then make our way very quickly to a local hostelry where we will reward ourselves with a succulent lunch and at least one or two glasses of wine (well I will, DH will be driving).

After that we’ll head home (about an hour’s drive) and fall in the door to collapse in a heap on the living room carpet!! Our two boys will look up with that Christmas twinkle in their eyes that only children get and say, “Only three more sleeps til Christmas!!!”

Will that make it all worth it?
DEFINITELY.