Window Shopper

Some of you are not Americans so may not necessarily celebrate our holiday. But we must celebrate our freedom, such as it is today. And I have been celebrating my freedom to shop. But then, I do that anyway. I do love to shop. The problem is that I do not have the funds to do so. Guess that’s the same problem a lot of folks have right now. At some point, we need to see the brightest side of this we possibly can. Why? Because if we don’t, it takes the fun out of shopping. Then it becomes desperate shopping. I would hate that.

Yesterday, it was more or less desperate shopping for us. We had a recent drain on our supplies and needed to replenish. And now we have more month than money. WOW! That was so fast. Today, I sit here thinking about our situation and sometimes get a bit down about it. And then, I think that today is not the day to care about those things. Today is a happy day. Today we get to celebrate the beginning of our country. I do love my country even with all it’s problems, aches and pains. She is still a youngster. She hasn’t quite grown up yet but she is definitely working on it. We love her.

For those who love the American Flag or those who do not understand the American citizen, please take the time to read this post about our flag. Ya might just learn something about our American feelings. We are proud of our country and our flag.

So, HAPPY 4th OF JULY TO EVERYONE!!! Anyone out watching the fireworks tonight? We hear them but can’t see em. Too hot. Too buggy. And we are too used to staying inside for it. Yes, we are wimps. Yes, I have seen my share of fireworks before. I love watching them when I can.

Ever wanted to show someone else how things are going with you and your family but the only thing you had were a few pictures? Now you can give people a better idea with custom photo cards from CardsDirect who specializes in custom made photo cards.

They have a large number of models to choose from or a blank card can have your logo and picture on it just the way you want it. 73 custom photo cards are available to view on their website right now. Taking a look at the picture I’ve put here, you can see what a great idea this is to get Custom Photo Cards for you, your business or your family cards at a special time like an anniversary, birthday or Christmas.

The particular custom photo card I chose for you to see is a Green Border Christmas Photo Card. As you can tell, it’s very pretty and the color is sharp and the picture is clear. Think of this as a great idea for your business to show your family values. It could also have a picture of your business building on it to advertise especially at those times when you have a huge new advertising campaign going on.

Why not take the time to go to the website at CardsDirect and see what all they have especially for you!

The Christmas celebration is always a fun time, always. We have nine members of the family all in one fairly large room, all opening presents and talking about what they got. It’s a barrel of laughs and loads of fun. There is just one problem I seem to have as does my husband. We cannot hear half of what was said. Why? Everyone gabs at once!! Haven’t you ever been in a family like that? We all love to talk or most of us do. In this particular family, we have five adults over the age of twenty one, two adults at age nineteen and eighteen and two younger teens, ages fourteen and thirteen. The house is full.

And everyone has the same problem, actually. No one can do sign language. None of us! Isn’t that awful since we all need to hear the rest of the group? There are times when the din gets to be pretty intense. On those occasions, I truly wish that I had subscribed to a subtitle service for the family. LOL! Yes, I know that isn’t really possible but I do wish it was. We have to find a way for us all to hear at the same time. It does not help that some of us “older folk” are starting to lose a tone or two anyway. So, low tone conversations are lost. Sigh. Yes, I do think a service like that would work well, don’t you? Well, maybe not but it was worth a try anyway.

Are you in the after Christmas blues? Maybe you got some stuff that simply is not going to work, no matter what you do. Hey, I heard about this woman who got a DVD player for Christmas. The tray wouldn’t come out. What do you do with that?? You take it back.

If Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving) wasn’t good enough, now we have the day after Christmas when the stores reopen and the reverse rush begins. Sigh. Isn’t getting a tad ridiculous here? First, you have the after Thanksgiving sales. Those take care of the people who are willing to do their shopping early enough to actually get the items on their lists. Next, you have the middle shoppers. These are the ones that shop all December, getting the best deals they can find but the real sales do not start until closer to Christmas.

The next set of sales comes during the last few days before Christmas. This is the time that you really cannot find the one thing you really, truly wanted to give a person because you waited entirely too long. However, they have excellent sales on things like big screen televisions and you could get that instead. Your spouse is likely to never speak to you again but, what the heck, it’s Christmas.

The last day before Christmas is the worst. That’s when there is little that you actually wanted left in stock. However, you find quite a few sales and a number of people you know that are as ridiculous as you are..waiting to to the last minute.

Then Christmas day happens. All the paper is stacked up to be burned or picked up by the garbage guys. The presents are all opened, some to be played with until they break, some to be used sparingly because you really didn’t want it but you won’t hurt the person’s feelings. Then there are the ones that you just know you have to return at first light on the day after…after what? After Christmas, of course.

The day dawns bright and clear and you are ready to go at 8AM. You get to the store and there’s a mob scene. Everybody has something in their hands that they simply cannot use or do not want. Some of it is broken, some not the right style or size, some is just not you…like the lamp from the movie..The Christmas Story…you know, the one with the lamp shaped like a lady’s leg.

The doors open and it’s a stampede to the customer service desk. The line is already so long it’s going to take the better part of the morning to get to you. The item you brought is a DVD that is not working. You have no receipt, nothing to show it was bought here. The store clerk looks at it and wants to know what’s wrong with it. You tell her that it does not work. She scans it and…. nothing. Are you kidding me? Nope. This item does not come from this store. You groan and think of the hours you have wasted already, standing in a line you did not even need to be in for this item.

Outside, you call the person who gave the DVD to you. They claim they did not give that particular movie to you at all. They have no idea who gave it to you. This is not working well. Is this a nightmare or what???? Actually, yes. Time to wake up! There. Now wasn’t your day better than that? I thought so.

It’s really hard to get noticed in the world of music since there are so many good singers in the world. But it takes someone who is special to grab us with their music. It looks like Alisa Apps is one such person. Having grown up in difficult circumstances, rising out of the negative into the positive, she has begun to make a name for herself.

Most recently, she was seen at a top shopping mall in the country, Santa Monica’s Third Street Promenade, challenging people to sing with her. The song was Jingle Bells. How many people do you think actually sang with her? Would you? Here is a video of Alisa Apps and shoppers singing Jingle Bells…well, they try.

Did she really have to chase people down to sing? Come on, folks. It’s just Jingle Bells. Who doesn’t know Jingle Bells? Well, apparently a lot of folks. Hey guys, don’t quit your day jobs!! Alisa Apps, you go right ahead and sing away. Great voice!

Have you noticed that when it gets to December that Christmas shoppers get a distinctly negative attitude? Did you wonder if they went home to see Marley floating around? When did it become a trial to shop for presents for someone else? Is this the attitude most people have around this time of year?

The answers to those questions may never come. But I can tell you that where we live, the attitudes are as varied as the people. Some are so negative that you just know in your heart that if Marley does not visit, it will be because he got stuck in traffic. Once the ghost of Christmas past shows up, it’s all over but the shouting!

Other people are so merry that you wish they would go home and be surprised and merry with the ghost of Christmas present. Maybe he can help the “too merry” person to get a perspective on life. And then there are those that you know have already seen the first two ghosts and could care less. You hope that they will see the next guy but this person might actually scare the crap out of the ghost of Christmas future.

But I believe that most people are actually happy and enjoying the season whether they enjoy the shopping or not. But the shopping is going to happen, at least for the rest of today and the next 4 days. Isn’t it sort of awful that after that, it’s all over. Well, not here. We have to start planning next year’s presents. Don’t you?

Merry Christmas from the Window Shopper!!! Happy Shopping, at least for the next 4 and a half days! Ho Ho Ho!

At this time of year, it is not strange to see many Christmas displays on the houses all around where you live. I love looking at those lights and scenes. They are sometimes an inspiration for the season. Many have the Santa Claus statues and the reindeer. Others have the manger scene with the baby Jesus. Still others will have combos of both. But there is one thing that is the same with them all, they are beautiful exterior lighting displays that show the season of Christmas.

Do you have a tour of lights or displays in your area? It would be fun to take the family and just tour the displays. I know that gas is expensive so make it a gift for Christmas to the entire family. Just get out there and see the sights. This only happens at Christmas. All other displays are for other reasons and not nearly as plentiful. Don’t miss this!

What I love about this time of year are the songs that are always being sung and played in the stores, on the radio and on the television. So many favorites from a long time ago are the ones I love the best. Each time I hear them, it puts me more and more into the Christmas spirit. The first one I came across was by the Gaither Vocal Band singing The Christmas Song. Featured are David Phelps and Mark Lowry.

And one more for your pleasure. This time it’s David Phelps alone singing Oh Holy Night! I hope you enjoy these wonderful videos of Christmas songs.

We have been watching television this weekend. I cannot believe how many really good Christmas shows there are and have been on lately. One of the networks, Lifetime, has been running a 25 days of Christmas. The movies have been awesome. All the way from A Diva’s Christmas Carol to Deck The Halls.

Then, on other channels I saw one that I had not seen in several years…Dudley Moore in Santa Claus: The Movie. He plays an elf who simply wants some recognition from the Big Guy but cannot seem to get it so he heads to a big city and hooks up with a toy company owner. Problem is, the owner is greedy. He finds out that the elf IS an elf and can make certain substances that make a candy for the kids. When they eat the candy, they can fly. Mr. Greedy wants more. He wants to take over Christmas without the elf knowing this. It’s a good movie for the family.

Tune in to the Christmas movies while you can do so. They are entertaining, uplifting and just plain fun.

Happy Shopping!!

Christmas shopping is worse than ever before, in my opinion. Things are flying off the shelves in the one discount store we have in our area. We do have a second store but often the prices are higher or they do not have the items that I wanted in the first place. I do feel sorry for those of you who are looking for toys this year. What with the recalls and the mobs at the stores, it’s a wonder anyone is bringing anything home at this late date.

Make no mistake, it is getting quite late to find any good toys. The stores do carry some that they put out during the last week and, yes, they do have deliveries but I would not want to risk the thought of not finding the one thing my kid wants for Christmas because I waited till the last few days to pick up the most popular toys for the season.

This year, I have no idea what the popular toys are because I have no small children anymore. But I remember in days past what it was like. The biggest item I can recall was the Cabbage Patch kids. Oh brother. Those things sold for monster amounts of money and they were not available anywhere after a certain time in early December. Now, you can buy a Cabbage Patch Kid for about $15 at your local discount store. Where is the justice here?

So, for those of you who still can’t get a clue and shop sooner, I give you my best blessing hoping that you are fast enough to snag the item before that really large woman over there comes after it. Oh wait. That’s me!!!