Of course I waited until Saturday to even start my Christmas shopping this year.. I just wouldn't be me if I didn't wait until the (almost) last minute to do it. There was one year, a few back, where I actually had everything done and wrapped a couple weeks beforehand, but where's the fun in that?

No, it's much more fun to wait until the foggiest day of the year, when I know everyone else will be flooding into the exact same stores that I'm planning to visit. It was pretty uneventful, but there were a few times that I had to get pretty aggressive with my driving. It was like I was suddenly driving in Illinois (no offense to you Illinoisian drivers, you already know that you can't drive worth crap.)

What surprises me, every year, is how angry and ridiculous people can get. It's like they really don't realize that if they wait until the weekend before Christmas, there are going to be a lot of people shopping. And they all seem to think that for some reason they shouldn't have to wait for the people that got there before them.. and they get angry. I've never seen so many people looking so upset before, even compared to last year, I was shocked. So I made it my mission to smile the entire time, and say "hi" to anyone that made eye-contact.

The holidays aren't about angrily shuffling through aisles and lines in a store, they aren't about wading through the sea of people and "50% Off!" signs that litter the store,  it's about celebrating. Peace, joy, happiness, faith – the things that make life worth living, and sharing those things with the people you care about.

If only one of the smiles that was returned to me lasted past the checkout line, if only one person's day was slightly brighter because someone walking through the store realized how ridiculous it all was and tried to do something small to lift things up – then I'm glad I waited til the last minute.

Next year I'll go shopping dressed as a reindeer.

Tags: cheer, christmas, shopping