Internet Shopping Saves My Christmas Spirit

I love Christmas, like most people. But unlike a lot of women, I really dread the actual shopping for gifts. When my son was young, Santa was the bomb. For all of us. We loved it. I didn’t mind the shopping then, but over time I stopped having fun. 

I still really enjoy the act of giving. And last year I learned a valuable holiday lesson, thanks to the hundreds of catalogs I get in the mail. I did a lot of my Christmas shopping on the web, and this year, I’m doing it ALL from home. A cup of coffee and a couple of hours on my computer took care of half my Christmas list last week.

Since I made most of my purchases early in the month, through Amazon.com, though they are from different companies, the standard shipping cost was only around $15 for over 10 items. So worth it!

I used to love shopping when I was younger because we went to the mall. You had a variety of stores to shop, indoors where it was warm, with nice spots to eat, and usually a fountain or two. There are still malls, some huge and lit up like casinos, but always a little crowded for me. I don’t remember the same kind of greed from years past. Now people express their holiday spirit by trampling other shoppers for a cheap DVD player, literally fighting over toys, and breaking in line to see Santa or get into a store. On top of that, the store employees are underpaid, overworked, and their idea of customer service is bagging your stuff and not throwing it at you.

I just don’t get any joy in driving around (not to mention the parking issue), or walking outside on a strip mall sidewalk, to six or eight different stores. I find it equally fulfilling going to one big box store and buying whatever they have because it is convenient. I get tired of the Christmas music they’ve been playing since Halloween, and the displays tempting me to BUY BUY BUY stuff I don’t want.

I usually know what I want, and when I shop on the internet, it is a lot easier to find. It is also less of a hassle if I decide to browse. And often, it is less expensive.

It is also better than standing in a checkout line full of other shoppers if I don’t have to. Most of them are usually as disillusioned as me, and would rather be anywhere else. And then some are actually excited and chatty, in their ridiculous Christmas sweaters and/or earrings, which somehow makes it even worse.

Christmas has become so commercialized, the stores start cramming it down our throats earlier every year and in the process, killed a lot of the magic. What once felt like a season of celebration is become a season of stress and unnecessary pressure to spend. I don’t like Christmas shopping anymore, except on the internet. The web is my new mall. And shopping in your pajamas doesn’t suck.