Community Voices for Health

By: Mary Morris

Every year, I swear I am going to start my Christmas shopping early. Say, even in the summer. I know that sounds outrageous but I know people that do this. I admire this type of preparation. And I say out loud and in my mind (many times) that I am going to do this one year. I’ll just try it and see if it eases all the anxiety and stress I feel every December.

But, of course, I never do. I already have so much on my plate. When would I have time to be proactive about my Christmas shopping?

So on Friday night I headed out to start my shopping with my 5-year-old son, with whom I do virtually everything. His enthusiasm was so contagious that even I got excited about going. On the way to the mall, he said, “I am kind of hungry.” Instantly I thought, Oh no, here we go. He pressed on, “Want to get a slice of pizza?” I said, “Sure, that sounds good, but remember we need to get some shopping done.”  So, we went to Whole Foods where he got some cheesy pizza and I got yucca fries, which are like French fries and fried dough combined. After our second round of yuca fries, I thought, “You had better get shopping.”

But then I heard my son say, “You know what I want? I would love an ice cream at Coldstone.” Boy that did sound good. So off we went to Coldstone. Since it’s December in New England, we were the only ones in the store. Zach would eat a spoonful and then wander around the store looking at everything and telling me stories about school and planets and Angry Birds. I was having such a nice time, I almost forgot why I was there.  Oh, yeah, the shopping.

We headed out to REI to look into one of the items on my list, where the store associate started talking to me about memberships. This gave Zachary time to spot the bicycles and ask to test drive one. I hesitated and then I saw the eagerness in his face. How could I say no? He must have gone around the perimeter of the store 20 times or more. We had trouble getting out of there.

Finally, we made it to Barnes and Noble and I did make a purchase for my daughter. One item off the list. After the purchase my son said, “Can I use the Nook?” Mind you, he has one at home. But I felt so relaxed now. I had one item off the list with only 75 more to go. No tree up. No Xmas photos done. Sure, use the Nook. I had a couple of magazines I could look through and I was kind of tired after all this shopping.

Truth be told, I had one of the best nights I could ever have with someone. I kept looking at him and thinking, “I will never be able to replace this time.” This is what life is about. I may never get all my December errands done, but I will never forget that night.

Happy shopping and happy holidays, everyone!