Holiday Shopping

I used to love shopping during the holidays. People always seemed in such good spirits.

I'd often make of point of going out on December 24th even if I didn't want anything just to exchange smiles and chuckles. At first I thought I'd just laugh at all the people who had put off buying their gifts, but actually it looked to me as if most of those folks were having a good time too.

And it has become a family tradition for me to go out to Walmart and the malls with my older son, David Ricardo Palmer, and his daughters  as soon as the stores open on Boxing Day (December 26th). We rarely buy much. We have all the Christmas decorations and paraphenalia we want, and there isn't much else we're keen on fighting over. So we go out, wander through the stores, and have lots of fun shopping and laughing together.

This year two things have been different:

1. Because my younger son, Adam Smith Palmer, and his family are visiting us from Texas this year, I found myself running out to the grocery store time and again. Shoppers in the grocery stores the past few days seemed a lot less cheerful than other shoppers I had encountered in previous holiday seasons. They seem intent and serious and even harried. That was ok at Canadian SuperStore, where the aisles are wide and people could rush around without being too impeded. But at Remark, a local high-end produce (etc) shop, the aisles are narrow. It was really hard to get around, and carts were bumping and being bumped everywhere. We didn't care for the experience at all.
2. Also because the Texans are visiting, my younger son and his older daughter will be joining my older son and his daughters with me as we go shopping tomorrow at 7am. I'm looking forward to the experience. I think some people actually have some things in mind that they'd like to buy, but as always for me, the main thrill is the experience. I'm not sure this video can be seen, but I bought this creature two years ago and had a great time showing it to everyone in the store. I even played it twice for the people in the check-out line.

Post by John Palmer.

 I love shopping, especially when other shoppers are in good spirits.