Toying with Christmas shopping season

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 21/12/2020 (1915 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The other day it occurred to me that I had done what I do every Christmas. I’d put off shopping for longer than I realized.

It happens every year: December hits and there is a whole blank month ahead of me to plan for the holidays and to get my shopping done. So I usually start the month by browsing through websites, leisurely looking for the best deals on things my kids have asked for, or things I think they might like.

And then, like someone who has not been burned by this tactic every single year, I wait.

Writing this makes me realize how privileged and stupid it all sounds. But, I got caught up in the notion that I needed to buy my kids the most magical Christmas, especially this year.

That’s right. I seldom even add things to a shopping cart, and on the off chance that I do, that’s where my purchases go to die, because I abandon them there.

This is when the anxiety and sheer panic hit me like a ton of bricks.

Two out of three of my kids believe in all the magic of Christmas, if you know what I’m saying. They have high hopes that the big ticket items on their lists will be under the tree on Christmas morning after a visit from Santa.

This year is especially challenging, since most gifts have been deemed non-essential purchases, so everything has shifted online. I know that there are so many who are working so hard to try to make shopping online and curb-side pickup as seamless as possible. But, wow, COVID Christmas shopping has been stressful.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve managed to spend a lot of money in the last couple of days even though I’ve procrastinated, but I’m not done. Or at least I thought I wasn’t done.

The other day I was sitting in the parking lot of Mastermind Toys, waiting to pick up a couple of LEGO sets I’d ordered. Vehicles pulled into the parking lot, as staff members ran out with plastic bags, trying to find the rightful customer. For a cobbled together system, it ran surprisingly well.

After a few attempts to call the store, I got through to someone. She asked me to hold while she gathered my items, and when she came back on the line she recited my purchase back to me.

“There are supposed to be two,” I replied.

“We had to cancel one of them,” she said apologetically.

“Oh no…”

This was such a small inconvenience, but in that moment, after several cancelled LEGO orders from various toy stores in Winnipeg over the last couple of days, it seemed like a big deal. So I sat there in my minivan on the verge of tears in a toy store parking lot frantically searching for the next place to buy this damn toy before Christmas. Even Amazon couldn’t guarantee that I’d get my order in time.

Even Santa may have a few items that aren’t exactly what the kids asked for, but he tried his best and that’s all any of us can ask for.

Writing this makes me realize how privileged and stupid it all sounds. But, I got caught up in the notion that I needed to buy my kids the most magical Christmas, especially this year.

I keep fretting that I won’t have enough and I’m trying to make up for the fact that this year will be different. I was putting a lot a pressure on myself, but I need to stop. More toys aren’t going to make this Christmas any less different. We already have enough. It took me having a near breakdown in a busy store parking lot to realize that.

I’m not sure if others feel the same kind pressure about Christmas this year, but if you do please be kind to yourself. We are in the middle of a pandemic and we’re all trying to make the best of it.

Even Santa may have a few items that aren’t exactly what the kids asked for, but he tried his best and that’s all any of us can ask for.

Enjoy the holiday season.

shelka79@hotmail.com

@ShelleyACook