Post of Christmas Past # 9 – The Late Gift

Ah, the late gift arrival. There’s nothing like a parcel drop-off race to the finish line to renew your faith in the miracles of Christmas. But if the holiday buzzer happens to sound and you’re left empty-handed while sipping on your seventh spiked eggnog weeping as you gaze out the living room window, it is then you concede that the Grinch must be more real than Santa.

It’s true, we do live in a time of convenience. We have the option of eliminating one of the biggest stressors about going out Christmas gift shopping by simply avoiding it altogether. We can sit in the comfort and safety of our homes, taking small sips of our candy cane hot chocolate, and simply click a mouse pad or touch a smartphone screen and poof, the gifts come to us. We don’t have to move a muscle past our wrist. Only, that same modern convenience does not come without some risk of your gifts not making it to their intended destination on time, or in some cases even at all.

The latter happened to me a couple of years ago. It left me with a Santa-sized pit in my stomach and lost faith in the online shopping option altogether. To a point where I have not done it since. After the fallout of that particular holiday go-around, there was no way I wasn’t going to tangibly touch, feel, hold, pick up, shake, and personally pay for my gifts and hand deliver them straight to their intended recipients. Nope, no more nursing tracking numbers. No more being on hold forever listening to Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas” play on a loop only to be told the same thing over and over which is to call back at a later date when more information becomes available. No more peeping through the window blinds like Norman Bates every time I hear anything with an engine go down the road. No more, nope, not a chance…Bah, humbug!

Now, don’t allow my experience to deter you from your own attack plan if it includes online shopping. You do you, and I wish you loads of Christmas luck. I just don’t like the concept of looking at something on a screen and hoping it will be in one piece when it gets to me. Or the right fit. If it’s bigger or smaller than the thumbnail picture reflects on the website it’s purchased from. No, my very own quality control is preferred. Like I said, when I can pick something up and give it a good once over, it provides me with much more satisfaction as I can with confidence slowly cross people off my Christmas list. Seeing right before my eyes something I just wrapped and have ready to slide in under the tree is like a high five from a North Pole Elf. Oh, and there is no shipping included either which does add to the budget value of the present itself. Because every dollar counts this time of year. Also from the perspective of a local merchant. They do say to shop local.

Yes, the late gift or in my case, the gift not showing up at all, can really make it seem like your chimney is clogged. Santa didn’t make it to you, so you assume you’re on the naughty list. Nah…you’re not. In fact, it’s the opposite. The extra care and worry you place on gift giving shows how you truly care for the person or persons you’re giving the presents to. How important they are in your life. Giving them a Christmas gift is a wonderful way to express your feelings towards them. Love is magical and so is Christmas. So, don’t stress. Go plan your list, plan your budget, and remember that it is the thought that counts. Oh, and plan to start early.

Until…