Would you consider Christmas shopping a sport or even something you would see on the television show Amazing Race? Before you answer that or think I am crazy for asking, I think there could be some validity to it.
If you do your shopping earlier than the last week and a half before Christmas then I would imagine your answer would be no. I would say you are lucky and smart for not leaving the task to the last minute. As you enjoy a cup of hot chocolate in front of your fireplace, others are gearing up for busy malls and crowded parking lots. I would almost compare it to the show Amazing Race. If you have never watched Amazing Race, competitors race against others to be the first team to reach their destination after performing a series of tasks. The last team usually gets eliminated.
In the case of last minute Christmas shopping, this holds true to the show as the last minute shoppers are like the contestants performing a series of tasks like making sure they get the right Christmas gift. Not only is there that strategy involved but ‘contestants’ have to try and find a parking spot, figure out which stores to run into and then try and maneuver through crowds to hopefully find what you are looking for.
I can’t imagine what malls in New York or large centres would be like during the week leading up to Christmas. Traffic is hectic, malls are packed tighter than sardines and the popular items become more rare to find than the Leafs winning the Stanley Cup.
Thankfully, this year we have essentially wrapped up our Christmas shopping in the Bushman house so our Amazing Race challenge is virtually done. This is a first to be done this early, but ever since I left shopping until the last minute one year, I vowed I would never do that again!
Since I was working in Saskatoon at that time, it took me forever to find a parking spot at the Midtown Mall. Oh I should also mention I think the day I went shopping was Dec. 23. To find a spot before someone else is a sport in itself. After a 20 minute drive underground I finally found something, so I crammed my car in there and headed upstairs. That was just the beginning as I then had to fight my way through people in the mall to get to stores I needed to get too. Since I didn’t really know what to buy, stopping in numerous stores meant shoulder-to-shoulder with other last minute shoppers. I have to say I am not a fan of crowded malls or really malls in general so this was not exactly something I would consider fun.
Then there are those shoppers who are focused and determined to get what they need and fast. My advice if you are not one of them is to move aside. I have also noticed for ‘some reason’ that the tension is usually a little higher than normal for some shoppers during that time of year. It is also best to step away out of their path and try a different route of getting to your destination. You might take a bit more time, but it will be worth it in the long run than dealing with a confrontation.
With elbows up and your favourite running shoes on, a person has to power their way through the busy area and do their best to snag the perfect gift before everyone else gets it. Otherwise it will be plan B, C, or even D in which case you have no idea what to do.
Once you get back to your vehicle after a day of madness in the malls, then it is back home and for me that is where the real challenge comes in, wrapping the gifts. I don’t profess to be a good wrapper, ask my wife. Trying to make it picture perfect is just not going to happen. If that task was part of the Amazing Race game, I would lose badly. But thankfully I have a backup plan, my daughter. When she gets old enough in a few years she might just be making a few bucks from her dad to help him wrap her mom’s gifts.
