Christmas shopping

So, have you finished your Christmas shopping yet? I ask because unlike most of you, I'm far from done, but I still have plenty of time, and for some reason feel like rubbing that in your face, how nice of me. The reason for the extra time is that I will be spending Christmas here in Minnesota, with Deirdre and her family. I won't get back to the Montreal area until the 29th to do a "Christmas" party with the extended family on New Year's up at Mont Tremblant, hopefully they don't strike again while I'm there.

But since I haven't really had the time I have not done any Christmas shopping for the family, I'm going to leave that for after Christmas. There are sales here as well after Christmas, but I'm not sure how they compare to the Boxing Day sales in Canada. So the only gifts I have really gone out to get so far have been for Deirdre. And save a few stocking stuffer items, I'm done with shopping until after Christmas. And maybe it's just me, but I think it's incredibly cool that Deirdre got me my own stocking for Christmas, is she a great girlfriend or what?

Of course since I have a girlfriend at Christmas I have to get her something special. I mean a foot massager is nice and all, but you'd have to be a hell of a dickwad to get your girlfriend one of those for Christmas or any other occasion really. So what do you get the special woman in your life?

Well in this country it would seem that the only thing that should be bought at Christmas are diamonds. Seriously, I cannot listen to any block of radio ads without being told that diamonds are the gift to give. Be it diamond earrings to "tell her that I'm kind of serious about thinking about getting serious with her"...I shit you not, that is the line used in one ad. Who is this ad meant to appeal to? The asshole with lots of money but afraid of commitment? Of course there is also the popular three stone pendant "representing your past, present and future together". Honestly, when did jewelry become the new Hallmark card? Another good one is the staged conversation between a woman who wants to pick her engagement ring, but make it seem like the fiancee chose himself. The store owner's advice is to conveniently have a laptop at hand with dessert so you can browse the designs on the web page, "he'll enjoy it"...like hell he will, talk about feeling backed into a corner. Anyway, if he doesn't know you well enough to know what kind of ring you'd like, there's a problem there.

The other thing that struck me as I wrote this blog is that I don't recall hearing a single ad for what to get "him" for Christmas. So what does this mean, that women here don't have money or that women are smarter than men (ok, it's probably the latter). But it is particularly odd that there is no generic gift to get a man, yet there is the "perfect" gift to give a woman.

Oh well, you will have to wait in suspense to find out if I caved and got diamonds for Deirdre, or did something original. But if you think that I went with diamonds, why don't you start holding your breath now, it'll only be five days before you know, clearly your brain cells don't need the oxygen.