My Project: 365 Creative Writing Prompts
Day 67: Christmas Shopping
I met
one of my neighbors yesterday who bitterly complained ...
How I
wish that there was indeed such a man as Father Christmas. Someone who would bring the perfect presents
to our house in exchange for some milk and cookies. Gosh, I would gladly make him coffee and a
sandwich or even cook him dinner for saving me a trip to the mall.
Every
year I suggest that instead of giving presents at Christmas, we move exchanging
presents to New Years. I mean, what is
the big deal? So, we wait a week, so what?
Is one week going to kill us? And
think of all the benefits: no crowds; reduced prices; plenty of items to chose
from; and no Christmas music.
Don’t
get me wrong, I love Christmas carols as much as the next person, but after
hearing ‘Jingle Bells’ and ‘Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer’ ten or fifteen times,
those jingle bells start to give me a headache! Then I wonder
why nobody gets Rudolph inside so he can warm his nose.
One
year, in the third week of December I went in search of presents. And, just like other years, it was a battle
and a struggle. The otherwise relatively quiet mall was packed with
people. Some were milling around, not
quite knowing where to go, while others were purposefully striding, knowing
exactly what to get, where to go, and loosing no time getting there. I got
a bump here, a shove there and must have heard “I’m sorry”, “Excuse me”, and
“Pardon me” at least fifteen times. I had to ask myself, was this shopping or polite wrestling?
In
good time, I found what I was looking for and was quickly weighed down by boxes
and rolls of wrapping paper. I became a
bit more sympathetic towards the pushers and the shovers as I was now one of
them, occasionally uttering the words “I’m sorry”, “Excuse me” and “Pardon me.”
I
dragged more than I carried my purchases in large plastic bags and heavy
cardboard boxes across the mall, all the while perspiring in my heavy winter
coat. My feet were killing me; my back
was in urgent need of a soft comfy chair, my legs agreed with my back and to
make matters worse I was getting hungry.
What might people think if they thought they heard a loud rumbling
noise?
By
the time I got home, my bank account and I felt the same way --- exhausted.
Still,
mall shopping is a vast improvement over street shopping. Back then it was so cold Santa could have
tagged me to replace Rudolph the Red Nosed reindeer within the first five
minutes. The wind tugged at my coat and
scarf as I trudged through inches of snow. Fun it was not, and it got even worse when I was laden with a few
packages. I slipped and I skidded, and
quite a few times I ultimately ended up on my not well padded behind!
At
least now, when I shop in a mall, I keep my balance and my dignity. It’s even worth listening to Alvin and the
Chipmunks singing ‘Jingle Bells’.
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