Santa and chrysanthemums (9/15/03)

I saw Santa Claus the other day. I thought that it was Elvis at first as it was way too early for the fat guy (Santa, not Elvis) to be hanging around. The red suit and the flowing white beard confirmed that it really was Santa standing there guarding the chrysanthemums. Maybe he was tired of poinsettas and snow?

He was silently imploring me to get started on my Christmas shopping so he didn’t have to stuff all my presents in his bag at the last minute. I told him I already had two gifts squirreled away and that was my pre-Thanksgiving limit. I am one of those die-hards who prefers to limit my shopping to the few weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The jolly old plastic elf reminded me that the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas was getting shorter every year. I told him that was as much of a myth as he was. He just smiled his molded smile and hugged his ample belly.

I suppose that by the time December gets here I will be used to seeing Santa everywhere I go. However, this was this first one I had encountered since the last buying frenzy that marks an American Christmas. Even though it is too soon for serious Christmas shopping, I was reminded that birthday season has begun.

We have two birthday seasons in our family. We have a cluster of birthdays in February and then another bunch in the fall. My mother’s birthday on the last day of August was a success. She liked her presents and we all got along.

Next I have a four-year old to buy for. Little kids are easy. Girls get dolls and boys get cars and trucks, plus they all get books. The hard one will be my new son-in-law. His birthday is the day after the four-year-old’s. I have no clue what to get for him. I am terrible at buying guy presents. Shirts and power tools are the choices I usually make.

I can go into any store and find something that my daughter or my mother would like. But when it comes to shopping for the men in the family, I am at a total loss. If I buy something I’m positive they will love then they are sure to hate it. I have seen that “What were you thinking!” expression way too often.

Perhaps Santa was also at a loss as to what to get for the males in the family and was hoping to get some late-summer ideas. It seems that the Christmas season begins earlier and eariler every year. This is our own fault. If we didn’t buy the merchandise then the stores would use their floor space more economically. Until we learn to confine our Christmas shopping to the season itself we will continue to encounter Santa Claus amid the chrysanthemums.[[In-content Ad]]