To Shop or Not To Shop? That is the Question!

I love this time of year, which is really quite amazing considering I LOATHE (definition: hate that I love) shopping.  But we need stuff this time of year ya know?  Food, gifts, decorations...I don't know why I feel the need to buy decorations every year.  I see them, and I can't believe how lovely they are - they call out to me and I answer.  I'm so weak in a store!

 I am perfectly happy with everything the good Lord has blessed me with.  I have way more than I could ever need or want...

wait, I said want...Well, at least I don't think I want anything...

 Then THIS happens...

There's just so many THINGS!  Things we don't even know exist until we walk into a store!

There are lots of other reasons I don't like shopping...especially holiday shopping:

*SALES  that's right sales.  How in the world am I saving 50% if I'm spending 50% that I wouldn't have spent in the first place?? 

*TRAFFIC during the holidays, shopping is so much more than shopping.  First, it takes way more time to get to the store because everyone else is shopping and there's tons of traffic.  Then it takes way more time to pick stuff out because there is way more stuff.  Then it takes way more time to check out because there are way more people standing in line to check out...just to name a few...

*BODY PAIN if you go to the mall or a department store, you are walking on concrete covered in a pretty something or other.  Ouch!  That's all I have to say about that.  

I

I actually went out on the afternoon of Black Friday to buy my daughters some Christmas decorations for their new apartment.

It wasn't so bad because there weren't a lot of people out.  However - we didn't see one single Black Friday deal!  We were having a grand old time (well as grand as you can have while shopping).  Our cart was overflowing and we were bumping into everything and everyone -




Then This Happened!!

Cassie and Haley, cute little nieces right? 

Yes, pretty little faces until Haley (the one on the right) loses her iPhone in the store!   All of a sudden I see everyone running around the store with VERY grumpy faces - and I'm like..."uh oh - somebody lost their phone".

Well, we never found it.  But guess what?

Grumpy or not - WE KEPT SHOPPING!








Here's a fun little tidbit for you - I bet none of you ever looked up the definition of shopping before have you?  Well I did and my first hits were as follows:  

"the shopping experience can range from delightful to terrible,  based on a variety of factors".  (duh)

"research from a field experiment found that male and female shoppers who were accidentally touched from behind by other shoppers left a store earlier than people who had not been touched and evaluated brands more negatively, resulting in the Accidental Interpersonal Touch effect."  (I'm literally laughing out loud right now and have an irresistible urge to touch someone from behind next time I'm shopping, but it would probably mess up the statistic because that wouldn't be an accident now would it)

"Shopping:  goods bought  from stores, especially food and household goods."  (umm, what about clothes and makeup and...and...)

The first one is like a weather report.  "It's going to be partly sunny and partly cloudy with a chance of rain or sunshine".
The second one is apparently a syndrome or disease (AIT - is it catchy?) I wonder because makes me want to do something totally unacceptable in today's society.
The third one makes shopping way too confusing - so if you're shopping for something other than food and household goods is that not quite shopping? Or not real shopping? Or do I need to buy a lamp or something every time I shop for clothes or makeup to actually say I'm shopping?   hmmm


Then there's the question of whether or not your husband comes along when you have to shop.  Mine likes to come with me when I Christmas shop but he hates shopping more than I do.  (definition of hate here - literal and strong dislike) (He generally just wants to monitor what I buy) That being said,  I can't explain it any better than this... 

And I'm like...

Yea, so the only way I will ever enjoy shopping is if I have too much money, no purpose, and all the time in the world.  A girl can dream can't she?? 

Tune in next week for my Christmas Decorating tour!