This question’s for all the guys out there. How much Christmas shopping do you do? I don’t mean how much do you get credit for but how much do you physically accomplish on your own? Me? I only do what’s really important.
Like most guys I know, shopping has never been high on my To-Do list. When my children were little I would set aside one evening to fly through this amazing toy store (on the grounds of an amusement park no less) near our house, and uncontrollably fill a cart or two to overflowing with everything I would have wanted as a kid. King’s Castle Land, could anything be more aptly named? Sadly it closed in 1994 but I digress 🙂 I’ll admit that I actually enjoyed that one deranged evening… as long as it was brief and only one. There were very few decisions made, if I liked it, we bought it. My wife silently indulged this temporary insanity but only because she was reluctant to turn down holiday-prep assistance of any kind.
I suppose I miss it. My one consolation is that I have grandchildren now. I remain blissfully ignorant of most of our holiday purchases and plans but every year I get to choose the “Grampa Gift”. This is the only residual of my past holiday madness, only now I’ve laid down a few ground rules. I am obligated to find the one thing that #1.) their parents would never buy them 2#.) will be the hit of our annual family Christmas party and #3.) will substantially contribute to the unruly excitement exhibited by the grandkids when they pick us up from the airport.
I did pretty well last year… indoor snowball fight, complete with a whole bag of baseball-sized, fluffy white orbs made of something harmless that emitted this fantastic crinkling sound when they came in contact with a kid (or anything else for that matter). We were still battling at full force weeks later when Grandma and I packed up to go home.
Every year I feel like maybe I can’t top last year, and the grandkids are old enough now to remember last year, but I think I’ve finally found it! The perfect Grampa Gift. I’ll let you know how it goes.
