No, we haven’t lost it. Yet. We do realise that Christmas is still 85 days away, but we do also know how fast these last 3 months disappear into nothingness.
Every year, when I find myself detained in the middle of Pavilion the week just before Christmas, I say to myself:
“Myself, do you not learn? Why are you doing this to yourself? Where is the self-love?”
And in spite of all the promises and threats that I will never ever do this to myself again, I do just that. Before I know it, it’s that time of the year again and I’m stuck in Pavilion during the mad Christmas rush. Happy Elzet turns into nasty, rude, impatient Elzet-on-a-mission, someone to be reckoned with. I elbow people (okay, not really elbowing per se, but there is definitely the odd bump or push), I clench my teeth and say nasty words under my breath. I actually get to the place where I sense the fine line between sanity and mental instability. And so the season of goodwill turns into a seriously unpleasant season of utter madness.
It’s not about the gifts or the money spent, as that’s so not the point of Christmas. The plan is usually to slip in quick to get each loved one a small lil’ something, pay for it and get out of there asap. The problem is not me; it’s the fact that so many other people have the exact same idea and it results in them crowding the place, which makes it impossible for me to do my thing. Quite selfish, that is.
A-n-d t-h-e-y w-a-l-k s-o s-l-o-w-l-y.
It can actually not even be called walking, it’s more like strolling. If you want to stroll, I suggest you go to a park. The last week before Christmas is definitely not the time or the place to stroll.
Now, this year – it will be a different story altogether. And I want you to join me in this very do-able challenge. Let’s break this bad habit of going Christmas shopping at the last minute (when everything is a rip-off anyway). Let’s undertake to not crowd every shop, shop entrance, parking space and counter this year.
Let’s save humanity from people like us.
I can so identify! Personally I don’t go to the Pavilion from mid-November until the kids go back to school in January. It’s very possible, even if it sounds extreme.
It’s amazing what you can find up the Highway instead.
It doesn’t sound extreme at all – I’ll make it my goal. I might just give the Pav a miss altogether and join you somewhere up the highway. Surely it’s something to be enjoyed, not rushed!
I had to go to the Pavilion on Saturday, and it served as a reminder that I will absolutely not find myself doing last minute shopping this year! As a true woman, I am all for shopping, but definitely not at the Pav.
I went to the Pav on Sunday and it was a nightmare. I did manage to buy two Christmas presents for friends overseas, but I am not going back to that place in a hurry. Elzet is right, PEOPLE WALK SO SLOWLY!! I had to push my way through crowds a few times… Spacious Gateway, here I come!
[...] if you have read our previous Christmas challenges, you would already have finished your Christmas shopping without the stress and hassles of fighting off frenzied shoppers and of course your Christmas tree [...]