Annual Christmas Shopping

I wasn't going to blog about this, but my sister's e-mail was hacked, so if I want to share this with her, this is the only way to do it. So sit back, relax, and enjoy "The Annual Christmas Shopping Trip".
My mom's birthday is December 25. That's right-Christmas Day. It is an annual Christmas tradition that my sister and I went out shopping with my dad, for my mom, for both Christmas and birthday. My sister now lives half way around the world but she is with us in spirit. I just need to share the dialogue. And when I say every year this tradition has continued; every year as long as I can remember except the one year I was in Pennsylvania and it was Alina and dad. This is truly one of the biggest Christmas traditions our family has-shopping for mom. Now, though we are helping dad shop for mom, as my sister and I do our own shopping. Believe me, he needs all the help he can get.
This year, because of circumstances, the shopping trip didn't happen till yesterday. I thought it would be a relaxed affair as most people would be traveling and taking advantage of having Monday off as well. I was also able to pawn off Asa unto the other Grandma and Grandpa so I didn't have to take him to the mall. When I felt things going smoothly, I should have gotten suspicious.
My cold is getting better, but yesterday morning it was in full swing. Nothing says joy to the world like a snotty nose and itchy eyes. But I plastered a smile on my face, waved good-bye to Asa, and hooked up with mom and dad. Now this year was a little different in that mom came with. Okay, we adapt. So taking advantage of no Asa, we went to the local science museum (OMSI) and saw their latest exhibit "Antartic To Antarctica". Great exhibit, I want to go to Antarctica, off to the mall.
This is where things got fun. It is pouring down rain. Rain at Christmas is nothing new but we dressed to stay dry so we fried in the mall where there were 3 million people who were NOT apparently traveling anywhere for the holidays. It was very busy! We drop mom off at the food court with a book, a latte (the woman is addicted), and our coats. So instead of melting I just felt like I was in a great big inferno most of the time. The first store we go into, it is there-the perfect gift. (Mom reads this-I am not saying what!!!) But dad is hemming and hawwing and it is hotter in the store than the mall. 20 minutes later we leave empty handed, head to the knick knack paddy whack store and pick up a few things. Head to three more stores, all at opposite ends of the mall, finding nothing. What we want to get her is gone, what she wants is at a different mall. About now I am thinking we will have to pull an Aunt Bethany from Christmas Vacation and wrap up the cat so mom has something for at least one of the holidays when dad says he will go back to the first store and see if he can find something else mom might want. These four or five sentences took an hour and a half to complete. But I am still full of Christmas spirit-I haven't run out of tissue yet.
Pause here-there are many things we have more than one of. Pictures, books, clothing, kitchen utensils, jewelery, underwear I hope. I point this out because back at the first store, dad is starting to change his mind again. I used my last tissue and when dad said" a person only really needs one of these" I replied "like a hunter only needs one gun". If you know a hunter you know that they have a rifle for big game, little game, cold days, warm days, summer, fall, big bullets, little bullets, etc., etc. My dad has approxiamtely 80 weapons between handguns and rifles. It was the perfect argument if I do say so myself because 2 hours later, we had the perfect gift and I ran to get tissue before I embarassed myself.
So another Christmas shopping trip under our belt and no got hurt or even cried (which has happened in previous years). And all grumpy words have been washed away with the incessant rain we seem to be having. It was quite a successfull trip this year.

The school is closed from the Dec. 24 till Jan. 2. I hope everyone has a great and happy holiday season!