Disillusioned

Christmas came fast this year. Honestly though, Officer Long and I got the majority of shopping done early - as in before Thanksgiving - early. He's had 2 days off so far in December so we figured we needed to get the bulk of it done ahead of time.

While it's never a great idea to judge people by how they act while Christmas shopping (or at their son's/daughter's wedding for that matter) I continue to be fascinated with people watching. Here are a few things I've observed along with a few other things that I discovered in Countdown to Christmas 2012...

-The cattle thing will always kill me. No, not that people eat steak (yum!) but that people are just like cattle. Like when I'm at the grocery store and there are 4 rows of shopping carts...I'm standing in the front of one buckling my toddler in and people are lined up behind me, waiting for me to move. Seriously? Aren't there like 3 other rows of free carts in which you could snag one?

-Never be afraid to question a line - as in a checkout line. I can't count how many times I've discovered people waiting in the wrong or inordinately long line (because they thought there was only one line to checkout) when they could be done and out of the store 25 minutes earlier.

- Last year I thrived on stores being open until midnight or even 24-hours. This year it has done me no good...Officer Long has been working graves. It's been interesting how all those surprise presents have ended up in hiding places all over our house. I've been lucky.

-Are stores selling out of stuff more than ever before? I see empty shelves and have done for the past couple of weeks. I get a little panicky...even though I already have what I need. Maybe it's that survival instinct I have where I worry about grocery stores being out of food during a major catastrophe?

-Carter is on the 'naughty' list. Do you realize how many rolls of wrapping paper I have rewound around the cardboard spool? Trust me, far too many. It's a good thing he's a cutie.

-A bright idea of big homemade sugar cookies bombed. My dog, Maizy ate 2 dozen of the thick, frosted, sprinkled ones I had waiting for neighbors and friends. Sorry guys. And she's not cute enough for me to forgive her yet.

-Not A Fan of Toys R Us. That's all I say on that subject.

-Being totally honest here...gift cards get a bad rap. Love these things. Wished people would quit talking smack about them.

-Legos are overrated. And I only say this because they are so expensive. I honestly think they are pretty cool but way overpriced. And that Lego Advent Calendar my kid had to have? Kind of a rip-off in my opinion.

Not sure if anyone else has similar thoughts on the above mentioned items. Or if you are daring enough to blog about them...but you guys all know me. Still love Christmas regardless and hope everyone has a very merry one.