Holiday Shopping

It's hard not to get caught up in the holiday shopping season. Everyone wants the latest gadget and gizmo and nobody wants to pay full price for it. I personally think that it'd be easier if about half of us got our shopping done in the summer, but what do I know? And how do you buy something for someone that has everything they want? Shopping for gifts is difficult, and made doubly so when someone's birthday comes before Christmas or Hanukkah or Kwanza or whatever you celebrate this time of year.

My mother's birthday is on December 15th, the same day as mine and ten days before Christmas. I have no idea what to get her for it. For one, she appears to have everything she needs at her disposal and won't tell me what she really wants. And two, she keeps buying stuff for herself before the holidays have even passed. The other day, she was trying to buy a strainer at Walmart and I told her to wait for Christmas to get it. Unless she finds it before me, that's probably what I'll end up getting for her.

Men are hard to shop for if you're a woman. Some people may not think so, but I belive this to be very true. For example, if my dad wanted new tools for Christmas, I would not know what to get him at all. What kind of tools? And when I know what type they are, how do I know which is the one you want? What are cheap brands? I suppose it is just as hard for men to shop for women because all of us have seen shows where men are dragged to department stores by a woman and don't pay any attention to what they're trying on or looking at because they're dying of boredom.

Don't get me wrong, I like shopping as much as the next person. I struggle with it, though. Maybe it's just me that has difficulty with these sorts of things. People aren't clear enough during the holiday season and expect me to know what they want. I'm not a mind reader, though. I don't know what to get you for Christmas, though, if you don't make a list or tell me what you want. I'll probably end up getting you some ridiculous thing like toothpaste or a box of flag pins (http://www.karatemart.com/images/products/main/double-flag-lapel-pin.jpg).