Thursday 25th of December 2009, Christmas Eve and I was working until 1200. No problems with that, there are many people in the same boat. The problem I had, along with a reported 12 million other people in the UK, was that I had yet to finish my Christmas shopping. The rush, the fights, the pressure, it really took the shine of what I consider to be the best time of the year.
This Christmas I decided to be a little bit more prepared and so started my shopping at the start of December, and because of the crazy that builds in people during this time (Hell, thy name is other people!) I decided to do all my shopping online. Of course the snows came down, during one of the coldest Decembers on record, and many firms weren't able to complete deliveries. With many of my packages still to make it through the door I battled, once again, with my fellow ‘revelers’ for that last box of chocolates and Lush gift-box.
I always leave the Christmas shopping to the last minute and experience the same turmoil and problems. Albert Einstein described insanity as “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”. Einstein may not be an authority on human psychosis, but his description does seem to fit.
Leaving the shopping to the last minute seems to be a running trend in this country, this year alone shoppers were expected to spend £23m per hour on Christmas Eve, with up to 20 million people hitting the streets.
The common conception for this is that people are lazy. They are unwilling to do a job until they are forced to, but there must be other reasons, I am not lazy!
Getting that perfect Christmas present for someone is difficult as you do not know what they have got you. The situation that arises when a new friend buys you a watch, when you have bought them a box of chocolates, can be a tad awkward. The moment you realise that your partner has broken the limit you agreed months ago can be a bit of a mood killer. Using the excuse that you went shopping last minute due to time constraints allows you to under-sell your presents and tell the other, more prepared person, that you are planning on getting back to the shopping after Christmas.
Having limited funds is another reason to go out on Christmas Eve, using the excuse that you shopped last minute will allow you to buy cheaper gifts than you normally do, or care to do.
The excitement of Christmas Eve shopping could be another reason. The hustle and bustle of human activity can be an intoxicating experience. The empty platitude of the cashier wishing you a Merry Christmas, as you struggle with a bag that has just burst, just adds to the magical day.
I may as well just accept it; I am lazy when it comes to my Christmas shopping. I must do better. Perhaps shopping for next year in this month, while the hell is still fresh in my mind, is the key. If I leave it any longer the hell starts to fade and I think that surely the results of my Christmas shopping next year will be different.
