Ireland

Ireland

Friday, November 26, 2010

Anything goes now

Thanksgiving has come and gone so you know what that means?
Anything goes now as far as Christmas decorations go. Decorate to your hearts desire.
Since I'll be on the boat again this Christmas I'm thinking of hanging a string or two of lights in the engine room this year.


You know, a moral booster of sorts.
It can only improve the atmosphere.
Just remember, the only thing worse than decorating for Christmas before Thanksgiving,
is me seeing the outside of your house still twinkling with lights in April.
That's a no-no.

While puttering around the engine room today my thoughts turned to the holidays. I scanned my MP3 player for Christmas music. I wanted to get in the mood. Naturally, I didn't have any. Who loads Christmas music on their MP3 player?
Pearl Jam would have to do.

As I day dreamed my minds eye saw past Holiday snap shots of all sorts.

Click: My family sitting around the Thanksgiving dinner table, happy.

Click: My family collapsed on the couch recovering from a evening of carb loading.

Click: The Black Friday sale with an ocean of humanity storming through the door of Walmart at midnight like Spaniards in Pamplona running with the bulls. Except Walmart is more dangerous.

Click: My wife and I decorating our tree while enjoying a glass of wine with Bing Crosby singing Silent Night in the background. Actually, when I say my wife and I decorating the tree, I mean, my wife decorating and me sitting on the couch pointing and saying "put one there" as I sip my wine.

Click: Holiday season Road Rage. Getting the one finger salute from a fellow shopper as we maneuver our cars for position, looking for a prime parking spot in a packed parking lot. The traffic in that parking lot was similar to a Demolition Derby event, only less organized.

I have never understood or felt the need to stand in a cold line at midnight waiting for the Black Friday door opening. I'd rather miss the sale and get my sleep. Ever hear of online shopping?

Many years ago I purposely postponed my shopping until Christmas Eve. I looked at it as a challenge.
That's about as stupid as saying I'm going to enter a Triathlon, with no training, just for the challenge.
I envisioned happy shoppers skipping through the concourse of the Mall, smiling, singing White Christmas and wishing each other a Happy Holiday.
What I remember is, well, the one finger salute I received before I even parked my car. The tension in Macy's you could cut with a knife.
A hip check from a dad as I cruised through the miracle bra isle and a stare down from Grandmom as her body language insinuated I better back off. I was intimidated at first by these seasoned shoppers who were focused and on a mission, but 2 hours later I had the right stuff, and too bad for Grandmom, I was fighting for my place in line.

That was a learning experienced for sure.
No Christmas Eve shopping for me.
Maybe I'll enter a Triathlon.

6 comments:

Jerral Miles said...

Mark,
I like your Christmas shopping philosophy... arrived at by real experience over time. What impresses me even more is knowing that you know where all those pipes in your engine room go... and what they do when they get there. Wow!
Jerral

Sueann said...

As you discovered! Christmas eve shopping is not for the faint of heart!!! Ha!!
We did the Black Friday shopping bit this year and we had a blast. No fighting, biting or yelling occurred and no long lines either!! I wondered what all the fuss was about!!?? Anyway..got what I went for and save close to 60%!! Woot!! Good day all around!!
Hugs
SueAnn

beth said...

oh you're funny !
i do that pointing thing when john's putting the lights on the tree...

and that one finger salute...well, i'm guilty of that myself....BUT i only use it when absolutely necessary !

my shopping is done....ok, i still need to get the obligatory shirt for my dad WITH a pocket, but otherwise, i'm DONE !

Rick said...

We started decorating last night. We bought such a large tree this year that we ran out of lights. That frustrated my wife to no end.

dcpeg said...

Ah . . . the agony and ecstacy of Christmas. It wasn't that long ago when shopping for it was like your idealized scenario.

Life has become too rushed and jam-packed with stuff and things that "have to be done". I avoid malls and do much of my shopping in local shops in small strip malls. Far less pain and finger-wagging.

Sorry you won't be home for Christmas, but them's the breaks, right?

Karen thisoldhouse2.com said...

Notice, Mark... that Beth got her Dad a "shirt", not a "top".

Black Friday might as well be a triathalon, because I wouldn't dare enter either. My cousin just posted on facebook that she had been waiting in line to get IN to Lord & Taylor for three hours. THREE HOURS????? For a store you can visit any other day of the year at a convenient hour, do your shopping and be OUT OF THERE in 20 minutes????.... really?

I ..Just... Don't... Get It. I think it's a primal need these black friday shoppers have... a throwback to the days when we had to hunt for our food. Yeah, that must be it.. the call of the wild.. or something.

I'm sad that you'll be spending Christmas on the ship. I'm sure you and your family celebrate before or after, but... still. Atleast you've got a tree.