'Tis the season

Shopping is quite possibly the most tiring thing in the entire world. I would really rather run 10 miles than shop for the equivalent period of time, and my legs wouldn’t be so tired and my back wouldn’t hurt at all. What is it about standing next to racks of clothes and shelves of kitchenware that saps my strength? Perhaps this type of activity is my version of kryptonite. If so, where are my super powers that manifest themselves in the absence of shopping? C’mon, scathing satire is cool, but it’s not exactly a super power. Even Maureen Dowd can pull that off.

So The Redhead and I have done some hardcore shopping these last few days now that we have a car. I must admit, I was very glad to see my old beater car. It’s really my baby. It’s not doing too well lately, so I know I’ll have to soon part company with it, but it keeps kicking. So we have been glorying in our newfound transportation and we hit the mall and lots of other fun stores that we missed while we were in D.C. It just wouldn’t be Christmas without a little stress and angst while trying to get to the mall in a snowstorm.

Speaking of snow, we have lots of it. We got about 6 inches in one day, and other areas of the region got up to 23 inches in one night. Holy cow, that is a lot of snow, especially since we had 60-degree weather back in D.C. Actually, I like the snow better so far, because the 60-degree weather was accompanied by rain and gray skies for weeks at a time. It’s been a winter wonderland, and I’ve had to shovel the driveway three times already this week. I don’t mind it too much, though, because it’s nice to have a house. The Redhead and I are staying in my grandfather’s house, since he is in a nursing home and has no need of it at the moment. It’s fun, like we’re “playing house,” although if we were really playing house, I’d decorate a little better. My grandmother, rest her soul, had very different tastes than I do.

So since it is the season, we went out and got a Christmas tree today. The Redhead had never gone out in a field looking for a tree to cut down, so since this is our tradition, she came along for the experience. We got on our big boots and coats to keep warm from the cold and the inevitably snowball fight that ensued, and drove out to the rural areas where there are Christmas tree farms. After tromping around in the snow a while we found several great candidates, and eventually settled on a very nice blue spruce. Around that time my younger brother broke our temporary truce by shoving snow down my neck, and I was forced to retaliate by pinning him to the ground in a most un-sportsmanlike way and grind snow on his face. He complained for a while, but he was back to taking cheap shots at the back of my head in a few minutes, so I don’t think he’s any worse for the wear. Christmas traditions are truly wonderful.