By AMY GESENHUES
I have relatives who shop throughout the year collecting the perfect gifts for loved ones. I know people who have all of their holiday gift buying completed before the Thanksgiving turkey gets stuffed. That's not my style.
I like to do it all in one day just days away from Santa's visit. This may sound insane to many, but it works. Here's how:
10:30 a.m. and I'm on the couch with a pen and pad in hand. I'm making my list and checking it twice with my husband to ensure I haven't forgotten anyone. 10:52 a.m. and I'm out the door to Target ready to face the crowds. The plan is to fill my red shopping cart with as many goodies as I can knock out in one store.
Target is an all-in-one-day Christmas shopper's dream. If you really had to, you could find something for every single person you know at Target. I find enough to knock out about eighty percent of my gift list. Nice. Next stop: Best Buy.
I walk past the Best Buy greeter at exactly 12:34 p.m. This stop will be easy enough, I think, as I know exactly what I want here: one gift certificate, one laptop case, one video game. I realize that I have no idea what type of gaming system my nephew has (is it a PlayStation?Xbox? DS?) Alright then, two gift certificates and a laptop case. The laptop case selection is slim. Very slim. There are two and one is black. I get the one that is not black and make a mental note to get a gift receipt too.
I get side tracked by cameras. (There's a reason they put the cameras right smack in the middle of the store.) They have the Nikon I want and I consider making a splurge purchase just for me. Then I remember that I still have pictures from last Christmas living in my current camera. Will a more expensive camera really get me to download more pictures? I move toward the front of the store to check out before I get side tracked again by the big bright TVs.
Best Buy takes longer than planned and now I'm off schedule as I make my way to Dillard's. I enter by the kid's clothing a little before 1:30 p.m. Dillard's is surprisingly (and refreshingly) uncrowded. I have three departments to hit here: women's clothing, men's clothing, and jewelry.
As I make my way from one end of the store the other, the pile of stuff on my arm becomes unbearably heavy. Every sales person I pass asks if they can hold my items for me. I have to keep saying no as I will never remember which register to come back to when I've collected everything I need. It's hard enough to remember which door I entered.
Dillard's is an effective shopping experience and nearly every single thing there is marked down forty percent; although, I believe they've marked everything up enough so that the forty percent isn't that great of a deal. It's no matter. When you leave all your shopping to one day, deals are not the top priority. They're nice, but never the first thing I'm after.
It is fifteen minutes past 2:00 p.m. and I'm making my way out of Dillard's and heading to the bookstore. I should confess here that I'm a bit of a bookstore connoisseur. I buy books as often as most people buy milk. As a connoisseur this mall bookstore is like a McDonald's to a vegetarian. It's tight and poorly organized and doesn't make me feel good about buying books.
Before I have a chance to find the book I need, I turn around and head back toward the middle of the mall. Dillard's has helped me make up for the time I lost at Best Buy and I am nearly done with my list. To reward myself, I decide that I'll visit a bookstore I like rather than shopping in one that makes me feel claustrophobic.
2:23 p.m. and I'm sitting in my car in the mall parking lot adding up my receipts. I'm back on schedule, on budget, and on my way to get lunch. With so much done, it's only fair I get sushi and enjoy myself. I have only two more stops left: the bookstore and the cinemas (more gift certificates).
Since going to the bookstore is a bit of a treat for me, I go book shopping before raw fish eating. And wouldn't you know it — I find myself a quick read while I'm there. (I didn't get the camera, so it's only fair I splurge on a book — right?)
By 4 p.m. my shopping day is nearly over. Every name on my list is marked off and my wallet is not completely empty. I still have plenty of days to wrap all I bought and remember how fortunate I am to have so many family and friends with whom I can share these gifts. I hope you have the same. Happy Holidays!
