A Christmas Story 2009: Part 2-Meg vs. The Mall

I hold a long-standing belief that if you're going to give someone a gift, you should expend the effort to make it special. I've never liked the idea of just buying something for someone, no matter who it is, that didn't have a story or some meaning behind it. I've been that way since I was a little girl. Every gift always started with the same thought - "This would be perfect for *insert name* because...." The stories are what make gift giving special.

My theory is part of the reason I hate THE MALL.

The whole idea of a shopping mall is that everything is so generic and accessible that you can find something agreeable to just about anyone. Granted, you may have a mall near you with some "specialty" shops, but they tend to be weird collections of stuff no one wants anyway. Or they cater to strange little boys that wear black eyeliner and nail polish and still play D&D. I've always wondered how those places manage to pay the rent every month.

Yet thanks to a series of hiccups in my master life plan this year, coupled with the latest whopper from mother nature, the mall is exactly where I headed today to finish my Christmas shopping. Since I won't arrive at my Mom's until 1 AM on Christmas Eve, my local Delaware shopping plan isn't happening, and I REFUSE to pay hundreds of dollars in expedited shipping to on-line companies to guarantee my gifts arrive in time. So I'm carting everything with me. And because we all know the airport people that search your unlocked bags are thieves this time of year, everything needs to fit in my carry-on. I am not a happy girl.

As if this wasn't challenge enough, I have other things to worry about in the Creative Gift Problem (CGP) department...

• CGP #1 - 11 year old nephew who has too much of everything already.
• CGP #2 - 6 year old nephew that wants what the 11 year old has.
• CGP #3 - A brother who is a musician and just really wants very expensive guitars from Santa.
• CGP #4 - Sister-in-Law who has so much jewelry from years of marriage to thoughtful brother that anything sparkly seems redundant.
• CGP #5 - Mom. Enough said on that one. I think everyone can relate here.
• CGP #6 - NO ONE IN MY FAMILY LIKES HOCKEY! GAAAAAH!

Now a reasonable person would probably just throw up their hands and buy gift cards and assume the recipients would forgive them for their lack of creativity. If you've been paying attention so far, you know I'm NOT going out like that. Not having SOMETHING to open is completely unacceptable. There has to be a solution here, and I'm determined to try to find it...AT THE MALL.

So I after a little dose of happiness watching the Kings practice in El Segundo, I ventured out with no real plan in my head. This is another thing I NEVER do! Shopping without a plan is ill advised for two reasons: 1) I like to spend money and 2) I have no patience milling around with hundreds of other people that have no idea what they're trying to find. But since I was overloaded with CGP's, I figured the best strategy was just to walk around and search for some inspiration.

In the end, I came out with all but one gift purchased (and no, I'm not telling you what I bought!), exhausted but hopeful that I could still make this less-than-ideal gift giving scenario work. I will admit, I also chose to accept that this Christmas would be one where I didn't have the "perfect" gift for everyone, but everyone got something nice.

At least I can blame it on Mother Nature.