I write a column for our local paper and here was Decembers story, says it all for me about lists.......
"He’s making a list and checking it twice, going to find out YOUR naughty I'm nice….” You remember the song by that singing cowboy. If you caught the way Isung it you noticed it said your naughty I'm nice, that is the way my brother always used to sing that tune this time of year. Maybe that is why I have a scarred physic. Most likely it was the truth I was mostly naughty and he was very nice. Tis’ the season for making lists, where do we find you, on that naughty list or on the nice list? We make lists of what we need to get each other or we make a list of what we want. Years ago stores had catalogs and with a crayon we could mark what we needed. Believe it or not, Barbie still heads up the list of most wanted toys this Christmas. This year there is a new Barbie that you can curl her hair. Future hairstylists can use real water and curling irons on her without harming the toy. We had several dolls around when our girls were young with odd looking hair, they wanted to be hairstylists but the toys would not corporate. One of our daughter’s does hair and her five year old thinks she does as well. If you sit down at her house she will run a brush through your hair and pat it down with the other hand. She will apply aluminum foil a strips as well, doesn't do much for my looks but it helps keep the voices in check. She said one day. “I need a doll with real long hair.” When asked why she said, “so I can cut it.” She has a six year old cousin and the mothers both agree, one of these days she is going to cut her cousins hair forreal. Miss or should I say Ms Barbie has aged well being she is over fifty, but hey she started out plastic. This Christmas Mattel has also a holiday Barbie with flowing red gown and holiday details, leaving Ken and GI Joe to fight over who can afford escort her to the ball.
How About things to do list? I am a listmaker and hanging on the fridge each week or day you can find a list that needs accomplishing. For some reason this time of year “bring in wood” goes to the top of each list. The wife will say you need to do this or that, I will say add it to the list. Many times I will do something and then add it to the list just so I can cross it off. Researchers say we shouldn't make list, we would be better off remembering the things we need to get ordo. They say it helps our brain if wetry to remember instead of writing it down. That is an invitation to sit in the chair and do nothing, in mybook. Sometimes it is fun to find anold list with several things not crossed off and say, “Oh, I better get thesedone.” How many times have you found yourself in a store andstood there scratching your head and said, “I should have made a list, I justknow there was something else I needed.”
Onthe shopping front, last week was Black Friday, in the past I have had storiesabout long lines, traffic snarls, and total chaos. This year the wife and I meet our oldestdaughter at around 7:30 and headed for our Target of opportunity. Several years ago this store had lines at thistime of the morning around the store and back again. This year, no lines, it was almost like anormal shopping day, what is a normal shopping day? The shelves were mostly filled no big emptyareas like in the past. Had the people who came out the night before gotten what they needed and the poor worker had to refill them? We filled our cart paidour bill and moved on with no trouble. The next stop for the girls was, I ‘m not sure this is the point of the morning we split up. My quest was air,one of the car tires was low and I was not in the mood to change a tire on theside of the road. The big box tire storehelped me out there and as I thanked him he said, “Air, the only thing leftthat is free and not taxed.”
I was off next to the bookstore, where I get good ideas for, oh, me for Christmas. Only most of the ideas are in my hand and only need to be placed under the tree with from Santa’s name attached. I found several and carried them around, then where it was time to checkout I put them back on the shelf and the next day ordered them online for halfthe money. Hey who am I to argue withCyber Monday, even if it was Saturday.
At ten thirty we meet up with our other shopping adult children and to have breakfast. This year we decided tochoose a place a little out of town because last year after waiting in line forforty five minutes it took another forty to get our food. Plans were made plans were laid and at ten Ihappened to go by the normal place we meet and there was no line and lots ofparking. I got on the phone and we all meet at the first place. Good service and no line and a good time visiting with family, day two. Oh the bill yea dad gets that, but hey there were only twelve of us.
On the radio they said that fifty percent of gifts would be bought online this year, are brick and mortar stores on the way out? Will they go the way of the phone booth? Let’s hope not, after breakfast we splitback up and head our own ways again. Myself I headed for the local comic shop where once again I was first inline and the only one in line. I got there ten minutes before they opened.
Black Friday report for this year, no pushing, no shoving, no standing in line, no crowds no traffic no fun. Not true, another nice day with family.
Now I can cross of “write this week’s column” off my list. While adding it to next week’s list, rightunder bring in wood.
