Christmas shopping should never be a chore. But when you’re surrounded by cheery festive overload it sort of pushes you to the other side of happiness. Oh and when you forget it’s Black Friday too...
Go just about anywhere and you’ll hear Shakin Stevens on loop, see shop assistants in titled santa hats and mechanical elves trapped in fake snow storms to remind you that ‘tis the season to be jolly’. Of course there are the crowds to contend with too. Like being swept up in the rapids it took all the strength I could muster to make my way to the shop entrance and cling on for dear life. “Hang on!” I heard my inner self holler.
Well “Ho, flamin’ Ho” that’s all I can say.
My warm jumper, scarf and long woollen coat probably didn’t help my mood on this particular morning but given the plunging temperatures on the weather map what choice did I have? Snug as a bug in a rug out on the street but roasting my chestnuts off once I braved the mayhem indoors.
Not only that, but as I powered through my huge list, I found myself bogged down with bags - and lots of them. Conscious about saving the planet I had taken along my faithful foldaway shopper, plus several of the stronger carriers I could pluck from under the stairs.
Supermarket baggage always looks out of place in a city centre for some reason but I soldiered on, deterred only by my cumbersome garments (and the throngs of frantic shoppers. Did I mention them?) as I darted from store to store.
Of all the staircases, queues and humongous crowds me and my many bags found ourselves caught up in, it turned out that choosing an aftershave would be my hardest task by far. Sniffing countless colognes and getting dizzy in the process wasn’t the pleasurable experience I had expected. Moving on...
Now there are some shops that should have a ‘Hansel and Gretel’ warning sign on them. ie take a bag of crumbs to scatter on your way in so you can find your way out again...A well-known sports retailer was the culprit here. Shelves so high and so close together that I thought I had stumbled into some sinister jester’s maze. When I finally did emerge, looking hot and deranged, I decided it was time for home - once I could get out of the car park of course. Now that's another blog altogether.
It’s feet up and online all the way next year folks…
Incidentally, should you still be searching for stocking fillers, visit our gorgeous Little Lucy Willow gifts section. There is so much to choose from here. Spare yourself a ride in the high street rapids and buy online!
