In a moment of sheer, unmitigated madness, I decided it would be FUN to go shopping the day after Thanksgiving.
It was, predictably, NOT FUN.
People are mean this time of year. Something about being in a store saps the feeling of holiday charity all around. The hordes of people, the clammering for that one item that is 40% OFF!!!! WHAT A DEAL. It feels ugly and for me, it is depressing.
An option: shopping online. I think I’ll give it a go this year, because I’d rather not face Macy’s, Target, the Mall. Somehow, www.redenvelope.com feels much more doable, and more thoughtful in the end. I’d like to peruse the goods to be had, read the descriptions, enjoy laying out the money…all of this as opposed to muttering, “excuse me, pardon me” as I try to jostle my way through a throng to take a closer look at that sweater that might be a fit for my husband. Oh, I forgot to mention…jostling through the throng with two boys in tow…a definite hazard.
The holiday’s are here. My gift to myself: staying out of the stores.
mary june brown 
I do almost all of my non-food shopping online now. It’s like getting presents in the mail, even when the stuff inside the box is for other people.
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