Christmas shopping 🛍

I’ve started Christmas shopping. Unlike a few of my friends who have smugly finished wrapping theirs, I have never been that organised. I used to blame my job until two years ago when I became a ‘Lady of Leisure’ so that excuse doesn’t hold!

But I do have an excuse! I have no imagination when it comes to gifts. I used to give vouchers and justified this two ways. I worked so had little time and it was so much better to allow recipients their own choice. Throw in the January sales and it’s a win win!

I stopped the vouchers last year which resulted in panic buying! My husband is little help and we spent days wandering aimlessly around the shops trying to decide on gifts. This year I don’t want to spend any more time than absolutely necessary in crowded shops! If only I knew what to buy!

Earlier this week we spent the morning in Chester to start our Christmas shopping. My husband wanted a watch. Now that’s a whole shopping experience on its own! I have never seen anyone, nor could I ever have imagined anyone, so careful when shopping (he’s a Yorkshireman!). We started by looking in the windows. We circumnavigated Chester and then went through the precinct. We managed to whittle down the jewellery shops to three after having examined at least ten windows!

Because I hardly ever have the opportunity to ‘frock up’ I was wearing high heeled boots and a jumper recently purchased on line but not particularly warm. However, it looked good! Not a lot of protection from the winter wind but not considered when I dressed that morning. Two hours into our trip I felt as if I was walking on hot coals! I was desperate to sit down and rip off those boots! And I was freezing!

My patience was wearing very thin. I hadn’t done any other Christmas shopping! But we did, however, ‘briefly’ digress from watches and moved on to jackets! There was a closing down sale in a sports store. My husband needed a new anorak so the next half an hour was spent trying on two! I kid you not! Only two! Eventually even the sales assistant was looking like he was losing the will to live! I needed to take control and told my husband that it was now or never. He had to make a decision! He took neither. I slunk out, my feet reaching a new level of pain and shivered as the icy artic wind roared through my new jumper!

So back to the watch! I managed to get him inside a jeweller’s shop and he was quickly accosted by a young, eager saleswoman! I had spotted a chair and made a beeline for it! Oh what bliss! I was warm and my feet weren’t pounding the pavements and inflicting debilitating pain! I could have spent the rest of the day sitting in that chair! In fact, when a watch was finally chosen and paid for, I had to force myself to stand up and leave my new ‘happy place’! Life could be so cruel!

I managed to struggle around a few more shops and, ticking off gifts from my crumpled list, ended the purgatory at the supermarket. The last challenge was climbing up three flights of stairs to the car park. My husband never uses a lift unless absolutely necessary! Laden with parcels was not deemed a good enough reason to change the habit of a lifetime!

The journey home was sheer bliss. I switched on the car seat heater, leaned back and made a mental note never to wear high heels to Chester ever again. The cobbled streets were so quaint but definitely not designed for impractical footwear! The chance to ‘frock up’ on my next visit will stop before I reach my feet! Flat, sturdy boots will be the order of the day!

So I’m back sitting in the conservatory with a coffee and scanning the internet for gift ideas. I am feeling warm and pain free as I finish my Christmas shopping in the comfort of my home! An added bonus is thar I’m not in close contact with any potential virus spreaders either! My husband will be going to the January sales on his own next year. His anorak will last until then!

I’m looking out at the setting sun. My Fitbit is not happy! I haven’t had my usual daily walk. I have to have a ‘procedure’ at the hospital over three Monday evenings, starting last week. I need three COVID tests and have to isolate for four days before each visit! But that will be another story! Life just keeps on giving, dishing out more and more surprises!👠