The time for Christmas shopping is here (12/01/07)

I am on a mission this week. I am planning to brave the shopping meccas for the first time this season. In addition to all the other things on my list, first and foremost is kitty treats. We have been out for several days now and I can't see making a special trip to the store just for treats.

Gracie, the calico cat, doesn't understand this. She continues to stare forlornly at the counter where the treats are supposed to be. It doesn't matter that I have offered her bits of leftover turkey instead. She will gobble up the meat, stare at me with those big round eyes and telepathically ask for treats. She seems to think that she needs kitty treats as often as I need chocolate. She is probably right. That is why treats are the first thing on my list.

I am not one of those insane people who gets up in the middle of the night to shop the day after Thanksgiving just to get fantastic prices on the must-have gifts of the year. I do not scout out stores before the big shopping trip. I almost never get the last present bought before Christmas Eve. I prefer to drag out the process as long as possible. It feels more like Christmas that way.

The special requests have already been taken care of thanks to the internet and email. The email order brings to mind something someone once told me, "Nothing is wasted." It meant that no experience, no bit of information, no chance meeting is insignificant. It will all come in handy someday.

The place where I ordered the special gift from is run by a person I met years ago at a class for wastewater treatment plant operators. The guy was just a casual acquaintance that I would encounter every few years at subsequent classes and such. Now he has his own business selling his first love - orchids. He has also acquired a wife and two adorable little girls since I last saw him. I never would have thought that a casual friend would be a fantastic source of presents. Funny thing is, I only remember a couple of other people who attended that same class.

It would be nice if I could depend on friends for all the presents this year but that is not the case. After I brave the local stores I am planning on taking my mother shopping. That is always an adventure.

Sometimes she will walk as long as she can lean on a shopping cart. Sometimes I will push her in a wheelchair. Sometimes she will whiz through the aisles on a store-provided scooter.

When she uses the scooters she reminds me of the "Little Old Lady from Pasadena" and I have to repress the urge to yell after her, "Go, Granny, Go Granny, Go Granny, GO!" even though she has never been referred to as "Granny" in her life!

I usually prefer to shop alone, but when I am with my mom or my daughter, I have the time of my life. We laugh and play as if we were little kids. When I am with them I don't even mind that ultimate irritation - getting bumped into by someone else's cart.

I don't have the opportunity to go Christmas shopping with my daughter this year as we aren't going to get together until January. We are both feeling a little sad about that. We do plan to make up for it when we get the chance.

Until then, I will browse for her presents via friends, the mall, big box stores and the Internet. I will also buy kitty treats from several of those places so Gracie can have a variety to choose from. Yes, I know she is spoiled.[[In-content Ad]]