RETAIL THERAPY FOR CHRISTMAS

I know you are out there . . .  those folks who HATE Christmas shopping but I have to tell you I find it therapeutic and the perfect medicine to get me into that Christmas spirit.
Up to now I have been pretty much in the BAH HUMBUG mood for Christmas. Not having seen Kaelin and Finn since October, having Abby and Roman so far away and pretty much just feeling cranky has left me in a less than pleasant state of mind. H has been trying his very best to help me get in to a better mental state but that just bugs the hell out of me and I get worse and worse each day.
Enter a day of shopping!  ALONE !  Yesterday I took off ALONE and had some fun spending money. H likes to come with me ALWAYS and so I never really get the opportunity to truly shop. I can't let go of the thought that H is sitting in the front of the store WAITING. You know those men who are camped out in the ONE chair that these stores put up near the front door. There is one in every store you go into at Christmas time. They have a very bland expression on their faces as if they actually enjoy waiting for the wife. When we all know it is just a put on and they are bored out of their minds and are just playing the part of "GOOD HUSBAND".  Look quickly around the store and you will be hard pressed to find their wives. Some are evident in their harried hurried look, knowing that their man in the chair is a ticking time bomb. Others, God Bless Them, don't give a flying F and are just shopping their little hearts out, Husband be damned. I envy those women. I can't do it. I am the one who is running through the store ripping things off shelves just to have something in the basket so I can say it was a worth while trip.  Bottom line is, shopping is meant to be done ALONE !  Sometimes you go into a store and you just aren't feeling it. So then you move on and go some place else. Other times you walk into a store and it is like everything is just what you were looking for. Hours later you come out burdened with bags and bags of goodies. Then the fun part of coming home and sorting through what you bought is the icing on the cake.
I didn't need to shop yesterday, at least I didn't need to buy anything. The gifts had been bought on line for the grand kids that live far away. Sent directly to them, untouched by Grandma's hands. THAT IS SAD! So naturally I had some "extra" things that I had bought and wrapped and shipped. But it just wasn't good enough to get me into the Christmas spirit. I had pretty much all I wanted for Smith, the big climbing slide that will take up his entire patio, had been shipped directly to his house and is being hidden in the bathroom till grandma and grandpa get to come down. I had picked up toys and clothes for Smith over the past few months so I really didn't NEED to shop. BUT I SHOPPED ANYWAY!  First stop, Kohls.  Not as great as I had hoped.  Last year I did fantastic shopping in Kohls.  This year not so much. Right next door to Kohls is Target so I stopped in there and hit the mother load. I dislike our new Target because the store SMELLS. Every time I go in there the over whelming chemical smell makes me want to turn around and leave. After a while I don't notice it as much but what ever they used in the building of this store sure does stink. I got past the stink and did some good shopping for H and now I am more in the spirit of things.
I may just keep shopping every day just to stay in this good mood. I wonder if H will think my being in a good mood is worth the cost of a huge credit card bill ?