Donde The Shoppers?!

Okay, so on my drive home each night I see more of them, lots more each night…matter of fact more than I recall seeing in the past couple of years, people are in a decorating frenzy this year! Lots of blue and silver, the usual green and red along with the ever popular white lights are being tossed up all around me….people are in the spirit, so why aren’t they shopping? Maybe the recent violence at the local Mega Marts has people locking themselves in their festively lit homes…are they shopping on the Internet, via catalogs or is everyone going by way of the Cranks, (horrible movie about a couple that plans on skipping Christmas but alas things begin to fall apart and hilarity ensues….sigh) if the latter is the case, first of all shame on you….that was a terrible movie, (the book was pretty cute though) and secondly don’t you remember what happened to them when they waited until the last minute to procure their holiday gifts and goodies?! It was bad people, ALL BAD….don’t be a Crank….go shopping!!




Now I will be the last one to encourage spending more than you can…okay, that’s a lie I am often the one encouraging people to do the wrong thing but this time I’m not…you don’t have to spend tons of money to have a great holiday. Matter of fact the more little junk you end up buying the bigger the waste…I mean who really wants a statue of Rudolph that spits M&M’s out of its butt anyway?! (Just a note to whom ever bought me that Rudolph last year, it’s my favorite and I love it….use it all the time!) I find that the gifts that seem to go over the best are those of food and those of time….got me thinking wouldn’t it be wicked cool to give the gift of both? For your closest friends you could buy a bottle of wine from say, I don’t know….maybe France, (I’m just sayin’) along with a invite to dinner at your house where the bottle will paired with a specific dish, or give all your friends a bottle of wine with the instructions that you all get together for a potluck where you can all share the wines with the foods brought, with that you could even plan a “world tasting” giving wines from different regions then people can find a dish from the same region. Anyone see a common thread here….that’s right, you will get to have some too!!



In all seriousness I think wine makes a fantastic gift because it is way more than just a bottle, (well…as long as you are giving something interesting) it is a feeling, a pleasure…think about coming home from work, let’s make it chilly out, you have been going all day and this is when you get to just relax, breathe in and out…take off your binding clothes, be surrounded by the smells of your home, your family, the food you are making and then you pop the cork on a bottle of wine and let that first sip swirl around in your mouth, the way it spreads across your palate, the way it seems to warm you from a place that is far deeper than your lips or tongue….and after a few sips you can feel the tension lessening from your shoulders…it’s soothing, relaxing…civilized and who in your life could not use more of that?! You can even make it more personal by using one of those cool little paint pen things to write a personal message on each bottle, this will not only help them remember who treated them to such a lovely bottle of pleasure but will also discourage re-gifting…unlike the M&M pooping Rudolph…that I still have, love and use all the time.



There is just over 20 days left to shop folks, time is running out and for the love of all that is good and holy give the people you care about some much needed pleasure….we all need it!