Yesterday we took an extended public transit ride in the snow to the mall. Not just any mall either but the largest one locally. I usually have a good sense of direction. After navigating us across the continent and back one would think so! But I absolutely get lost and disoriented every time I step into it which is probably why I haven’t gone there in a couple of years. However we had procrastinated ourselves out of purchasing the only set of gifts we actually give this season – jammies for the grandbeasties. No hope for it then. The Mall at Excessmas. Yikes.
On a Monday mid-morning it thankfully wasn’t particularly busy. At least not crazy-busy! After much hunting around we managed to find what we hope will be suitable. Just guessing on the fit because child sizes mean nothing to me these days. While we were at it we also found a replacement floor attachment for our elderly vacuum cleaner. The current one has no bristles left on it. Apparently the design of the connection hasn’t changed which is a miracle really in this day of planned obsolescence. We also had a yummy lamb souvlaki lunch which was definitely the highlight of the trip.
I shop so little these days (apart from groceries and craft supplies) that I was quite overwhelmed by the sheer amount of stuff for sale. Holey-Moley! Such a lot of it was Holiday Hideous! Does anyone really wear floor length dresses covered in cheap sparkly bits and frilly chiffon layers? And extra high platform spike heels to go with? Or perhaps I should ask do they actually wear them in public? Apart from the toddler/kindergarten set dressed in their princess play costumes, I thought most women would grow out of that mega-frou-frou phase. Or am I missing out on all the right parties? And I’m sure she was just dying to change into the adult-sized onesie with a giant British flag afterwards. Nevermind.
OK, I know! I’m definitely not the right Target Demographic! (Thankyouverymuch.) One good thing I noticed was that the girls clothing department was finally trending away from All Pink All The Time. Black, red and a smattering of other options. However, just try to find something without a licensed commercial image on it! Disney, Hello Kitty, Angry Birds, Spider Man…you pay to advertise for the corporations. And the kids are happy to wear recognisable “friends”. Guess this is just the logical extension of the Mickey Mouse ears that I used to wear while watching the TV show as a kid?
Yes, of course I could have sewed the Beasties’ jammies myself. And probably should have too. But I don’t have any of the right supplies nor their current measurements on hand so that would have meant thinking ahead! Didn’t happen. Maybe next year. Or not. Christmas is not a huge deal for me anyhow aside from spending precious extra time with family. I don’t enjoy the constant marketing hype, the shopping and decorating, the huge expectations and the inevitable letdown afterward. I know I’ve said this before but it’s gotten completely out of hand as a holiday, religious or secular. I’d rather ignore as much as possible and just pick out the parts that I can live with. The rest can go jump in a sleigh and fly away! Life is too short to worry and stress. I already have what I need to be happy. Santa doesn’t have to bring me anything more.
Annual Seasonal Rant Over! Moving right along. It’s currently snowing in Vancouver for the second day in a row. Yeah, unusual, huh? Tee-tiny snowflakes which don’t amount to much. It’s been warming up from the arctic chill we’ve had for the last week or so but still hovering somewhere around freezing. The fascinating sculptural ice build-up in the water garden is starting to melt:
It’s relatively warm enough now to take the blanket off my rosemary. Hope we haven’t lost any plants but we likely won’t know spring. Stay warm! Or cool, depending on where you are. More anon.
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