Just a Little Bit of Christmas Stuff To Share

I just got done Christmas shopping.

Three hours and a $4.00 meal consisting of a hot dog and small coke from Target later and I'm finally back in the comfort of home.  I ran to Walmart, Walgreens and Target for my Christmas treasures for the kids. I sure hope they like what they got.  I had 200 bucks to shop with and a gift cards I got from two of the parents at my work.   One I received back in March from a parent whose son left my room, the other was a gift from a very nice grandparent of one of our former students.

Bless them both.

Thank you parents for helping with my shopping this year.

I'm exhausted now.

Just want to go to sleep.  I have one more set of gifts to wrap and I'm done. I had to take a break. It's really lonely on the floor there wrapping all those gifts. Even the birds are quiet.

I was in Walmart and I heard this dad yelling to his daughter as they passed by me, "I have nowhere to put that reindeer at home."

"But dad--,"

"Put that back now! It's too much. We don't need another reindeer." I couldn't help but laugh out loud as they went by me.

Then another guy is yelling at his wife to decide which set of lights she wanted so they can go. "We've been here for hours, just pick one already so we can go!" 

I know men are hunters, women are gatherers.  Men were not meant to peruse aisles, especially the aisles with the "Christmas Junk" as some men will call it, and most especially not with their wives in the "Christmas Junk" aisle. That is like taking a woman out to a car show and lifting the hood while explaining what the catalytic converter does and why transmission fluid is a vital component to ones car running smoothly.

"You lost me when you lifted the hood honey. Can we go now?"

Head to Target and some dad is telling his two young girls, "We are just getting something small today. Christmas is just around the corner." I wanted to tell that dad, "Why are you even here with Christmas just around the corner anyway? Your kids don't have enough crap already? Can't wait 10 more days to let them have their toys?" 

Must be rough when you can just randomly buy your kids toys for no reason.

That's my sarcasm by the way.

Then I went to Walgreen's and these two women were in front of me. The one woman sounded like she was from England or somewhere around there. She had this really amazing accent. She was probably about 60-something and her daughter was about my age. They are standing in line and the older woman says to me "Where'd you find that?" and I told her which aisle and said it was for my 10-yr old son. She proceeds to tell her daughter, "Ten, her son is ten. That would be perfect." The daughter already got something apparently and was telling me all about it. Then the mother was playing with the little (annoying I'm sure to the clerk working the counter but funny to the rest of us) stuffed penguin that sang "Donde esta Santa Claus?" when you push the button and shook it's little yellow and red maracas.

Cute.

Then she hit the button again and it stopped. Then she started it up, or tried to and said "I think I broke it." She kept on going though and eventually it started back up again.

I was cracking up at her. She was hilarious.

So she has this angel tree topper and the daughter says she'll pay for it, the mom says no, and they go back and forth finally the daughter pays for it and I see the mom wander over to the counter behind us where there is a stuffed snowman.  I looked at the daughter and said "I don't think she's done shopping yet," then I laughed.

I wished them a Merry Christmas and they wished me one back. 

Out the door they went.

I get home with the purchase I got and I was so mad. Got home and the damn thing didn't work. Can't say what it is though, my kids read my blog. So I had to take it back. I didn't want to go and was going to go tomorrow, but I knew if I did they would all be gone because as my luck would have it they were five bucks off.

I was so happy. 

I found this out(the sale that is) the first time I went there(out of three trips there) when I went to the register and she rang up my items. I said, "Oh! It's on sale! Yay!" Woman behind me says "It would be nice if they would tell you that before you get to the counter," in a rather annoyed voice.  Bah humbug you, don't ruin my happy day is what I wanted to say.

So the cashier rings me up and tells me I have points to redeem...a whopping three bucks off my purchase. "Sure!" I'll redeem those points!" Then she hands me my receipt and a coupon for $2.00 of a purchase of 10 bucks or more. I looked at her and the lady behind me and said, "Who needs mega-millions when you have Walgreens?!"

I know I should get out a hell of a lot more than I do.

Got home and began the daunting task of sorting, wrapping and labeling. Ugh. This use to be fun for me. I use to love doing this. But when there is no one to talk to..well...it's just kind of...boring.

I tried lighting the tree, putting on Christmas music and getting "into it".

Just couldn't do it.

My heart wanted to be into this, but my head had other plans.

I was thinking about a friend of mine who lost his mother yesterday. I found myself saying out loud "Damn Joe(not his real name) I feel so awful for you. I wish there was something I could do for you. I can't imagine the holidays without your mother with you. I can't imagine any day not having your mother around. I feel sorry for you Joe and sorry for you Mrs. Smith(again not her real name) that your life was taken so soon." Then I started balling.

Again with the tears.

I feel other people's pain.... I don't know how to describe it.  I just feel for others so deeply, more than "normal" people do.  If someone is sad, I am sad. If someone is angry, then I start to feel angry too. I hate when I'm around angry people...it's very annoying for me to say the least. I wish there was something to describe this.

Maybe I'm just weird....ahem...I mean unique.

Or maybe I do need to get out more.

Maybe this is where my youngest twin gets it from...me. He is very sensitive. Very sensitive to others. Very sensitive to animals and nature. He cries at so many movies. Some movies I've never even cried at before but because he is crying I'm crying too.

Saving Christmas we both cried like babies when the boy had to give Christmas back to the shelter. Saving Christmas is the movie....for the record.

The other day he called me from the grocery store where his dad shops and he was outside with his brother while their dad shopped with their sister. He calls me to tell me they found a pigeon in the parking lot. It had an injured leg. It was bent...pretty much broken. Poor thing was hobbling all around. The sadness and concern in his voice made me feel bad for that poor bird too. He kept telling me how they are feeding it and how the sprinklers are on so the bird has water to drink. He took a video and sent it to me.

He called me back when they were driving off and said some stupid teenage punks(my words not his here) were kicking that pigeon and laughing at it. I hope karma got those kids good. Shame on them! I could hear the worry in his voice and I tried to reassure him that the bird would be okay. He's part of nature and he will find safety until his leg is better.

Such a sweet kid he is. I don't care what anyone says about my boys, yes they can be a handful, even angry tyrants once in a while that can destroy a room with the kick of a foot but they are not mean, especially my youngest twin. That child has a soul that is so pure and loving. He's going to go places when he gets older. He is going to do something great with his life some day and it's going to either deal with animals, insects or humanity.

Ever see the movie Mimzy? He's just like the main character in that movie. The little girl with the compassion and understanding well beyond the years of the adults around her.

Anyway, after thinking about my friend and his mom and talking into thin air or whomever happens to be listening from the other side of the other world like a guardian angel or the cricket in my kitchen(who, by the way I named Jiminy), I decided  I was going to get up and take a break.

So here I am.

Taking a break.

Now I have to go.

It's already 7:16 I can't believe this day is almost over and I have to go back to work tomorrow. So much for a non-busy weekend of relaxation.

Oh well.

Will be back sometime this week.

Have a wonderful week to whomever passes by my blog this week.