My holiday vacation is in full swing. Yesterday I headed to a neighboring town to pick up produce for Christmas Eve veggie lasagna and to do a little fun shopping. 

Yesterday was relaxing because, aside from retrieving produce, all my Christmas chores were pretty much done. The shopping and wrapping are done. I am going to make some more cookies and fudge today but it should be pretty low key. In fact, I don’t plan to start my car again until Tuesday because if I haven’t bought it yet I probably don’t need it anyway.

This is going to sound mean but I always enjoy hitting the stores a couple of days before Christmas when all my shopping is done and everyone else is frantically buying whatever stuff they can find. It makes me appreciate the serenity that comes with planning ahead and that inner calm allows for some pretty fabulous people watching. 

While in a vendor mall called Peddlar’s Junction, I overheard an elderly woman answer the phone and then proceed to tell the caller that she wouldn’t be home for a while. “Yes dear, we hope to see you too. We’re out running some errands right now. We’re very busy,” she said as she examined a vintage candlestick.

 I liked her style. 

Incidentally, if I ever tell you I’m out running errands, know that I’m probably at TJ Maxx smelling candles and buying pajamas. I’m probably stopping at a vendor mall and a bookstore too.

While walking through another store’s very busy parking lot, I witnessed a dirty maroon minivan make a turn on two wheels. The windows were cracked and vintage Johnny Cash blared from the speakers. When the driver climbed out, I couldn’t help but notice she was wearing Christmas pajamas and had a cigarette hanging out of her mouth while wrangling a youngster. That takes skill. 

She would make a great character for that book I may write someday. 

Lunch was cheese pizza, enjoyed in the car while I people watched and listened to Christmas music. Whoever cut the pizza seemed to have never cut or maybe never seen a pizza before. It was cut in odd sizes and shapes – one slice a sliver of no more than an inch at its widest and the one next to it at least a quarter of the pie. None of the pieces were pointy. It was bizarre. 

Part of the reason I went for a car lunch is that by the time I got around to eating, all the restaurants were full with folks waiting for tables. Even the fast food restaurants had long drive-thru lines. The other reason is that I wanted to hear Christmas music and feared it wouldn’t happen in a restaurant since it wasn’t happening in the stores. Why? After all, the stores were rocking around the Christmas tree and blaring Mariah Carey on November 1. On December 22, there was no festive music but a pile of Valentine’s stuff already on the shelves.

As Charlie Brown would say, “Good grief.”

All told, folks were patient and nice even in places where the wait was long. I chatted up most of my cashiers and not one of them claimed to be ready for the holiday. All complained they had spent so much time at work lately they had no desire to go shopping in their free time. I try to be extra nice to retail workers because it isn’t their fault that everyone waits till the last minute to shop. Not to mention, they aren’t paid that well and it has to be hard watching everyone come through buying things their families might love to receive but they can’t afford to buy on their wages.

Another common theme was the presence of people talking on their phones in stores. If you’re one of those people, note that you aren’t very fast or efficient while you wander around chatting up Sally Sue about who-knows-what. There’s likely someone behind you that wants to reach around you (or maybe just knock you down) so they can  grab something off the shelf you’re aimlessly blocking. 

Ha! Can you tell I hate phones in stores? 

 In all, it was a great day of  much needed quality time with myself. I found several bargains and a few things I couldn’t live without. As much as I enjoyed this excursion, I was glad to come home with my treasures, light up the tree and turn on the Christmas music. 

Are you ready for the holiday?