Christmas shopping lessons...

Lesson 1: Don't go to a mall anytime after Noon on any given day. ESPECIALLY if that day is a Friday. Yup... Friday. You would think that most people would be working, and you would just be able to whip into the mall and pick up what you need. You would be wrong. The traffic was bad. The line-ups even worse.

Lesson 2: DO go to a mall on the weekend just BEFORE it opens. You'd be surprised at how few people get up early on the weekends! You can pick out a parking spot with minimal effort, and stroll into the mall as everyone opens their shutters. You get happy friendly service-people to wait on you, with small lineups at the checkouts. Although, it does help if you know what you want, and are able to just go to the stores you need, and pick it out. Because there is one drawback... DO NOT, under any circumstances, stay one minute past Noon. High-tail it and run the minute your watch hits 11:30. That way, you can get out before it gets ugly.

Lesson 3: DO NOT take your husband with you. He will be finished WAY before you, and then whine like a baby when you say you want to stay for another hour. He never mentions that he has to buy only your gifts. You are faced with buying his gifts, your family's gifts, his family's gifts, and gifts for both of your workplaces. So, when he gets his list done, you are likely only 1/5th of the way through your list. If you do take him with you, be prepared to bribe him with Starbuck's coffees and say things like "It will only take a minute", and "I'll buy you anything you want, if we just go over here to look..."

Lesson 4: Don't stop at the Liquor store on the way home. It's a trap! It's just before Noon, and the parking lot looks like it's not all that busy, and you get a spot not far from the front door. But, once you are in the store, the clock strikes Noon, and you look around, and there are 15 people in each of the 4 lineups to checkout, and each person has like 20 bottles in their little carts. It may be "Free bag" day (where you get a free re-useable bag to carry your purchases out), but it's little comfort when you have to wait in line for 1/2 hour. By the way... if you bring your husband with you, your bill will be twice what it would be if you went alone.

Happy Christmas shopping everyone!