I guess I missed the memo that informed the public that the Christmas season begins before the Halloween crap is even off of the shelves. Hell, we are still in Daylight Savings Time. If the commercialization gluttons get their way, we will be seeing holiday items in stores around the time the Independence Day items are being packed away. It will truly be Christmas in July.
In an attempt to ward off the holiday depression that takes over my life every year, I have decided to thrust myself unwillingly into the holiday shopping epidemic that plagues my pocketbook not only for December, but for months following the joyous season. So this year I figure that if I start early, maybe I can forego some of the financial hurt we experience in January and months after.
We began at Toys R Us Express, a nice store filled from floor to ceiling with all of the year’s new toys. Absent from this store is the noise, obnoxious clerks, and unnecessary bells and whistles of the Toys R Us superstore that we have in Waterford. We were able to purchase a few items that were on Santa’s lists, and ended up saving twelve dollars in the process. Apparently, the Toys R Us Express store has sales on some items that the parent store does not. Keep that in mind all of you Santa’s helpers out there.
We then ventured over to the Toys R Us superstore. We just so happened to stagger in during the “power hours” sale that was occurring between nine and one, therefore the store was overrun with other Santa’s helpers. Being that Halloween is tomorrow, some of the shelves were bare, but overall the store was well-stocked for us early holiday shoppers. We proceeded through the many aisles with caution, trying to get a sense of what our children would like to add to their un-played toy collections. The “power hours” sale proved to be a little promising and we were able to purchase some items at a reduced cost. I will not be divulging any sensitive information for that fact that one of my children is quite computer savvy and will probably be reading this blog within the next couple of days (Hello Mary).
Having obtained several deals, we decided to push our luck at the local hobby shop. Lee’s Toys in Groton is a great little store, often triggering nostalgic feelings when perusing the overstuffed aisles. I saw toys there that I played with when I was little; toys that you would not see at a Toys R Us or Wal-Mart. We were good little parents, however, and didn’t purchase anything bigger than stocking stuffers here, even though I wanted a Jacob’s Ladder and a new slinky (for myself, of course!)
I was happy with our purchases for the day; they did not break the bank but we did get some of the items on the wish lists. And furthermore, we didn’t get buffeted and run over by the bullies who take over the stores somewhere around Thanksgiving time. We actually had fun shopping today, I think because we weren’t under the holiday pressure yet. Although, I must say, I did feel a little foolish wrapping Christmas presents while my jack-o-lanterns were staring at me. Their eyes had that “what the hell are you doing, woman?” look in them. What can I say? Desperate times call for desperate measures. As long as I don’t start decorating the Christmas tree in September…
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