What kind of Christmas shopper are you? Are you one of those aggravating people who start in the first half of the year, sussing out charming things perfect for every family member, gradually building up their cache of gifts with no stressy, last-minute rush like the rest of us mere mortals? Apparently there are people who buy for the following Christmas at the Boxing Day sales, the very thought of which makes me feel faint with exhaustion.
Then there’s online shopping – a recently acquired skill at which the man I share my life and offspring with excels. He revels in the extensive research involved, the sense of getting a bargain, the excitement of the delivery person arriving at the front door. Me, I’m not such a fan. My husband buys clothes on line, which I don’t, having had several less than ideal experiences. Men’s sizes are a lot more uniform than women’s, or maybe it’s just that he’s not quite as fussy about his colours.
How I loved to fill those grimy, out-of-shape socks! An orange at the toe, of course. Chocolate coins covered in gold foil were de rigueur. There were minor stationery items – novelty pens and erasers and dinky paper clips and post-it notes. As they got older, we included knickers, socks, soap, deodorant, spray-on Lynx when the boys were in their teens.
The last few years, we have simplified things enormously by going the Kris Kringle route. And it’s bliss. Christmas prep has become almost stress-free. Some of us are cash-strapped, none of us needs more stuff in our lives. We are all weary at year’s end. All we want is to be together. Result? These days I am not any kind of Christmas shopper. I just sit back and rejoice that I don’t have to worry about it.