I personally believe that 70% of Christmas stress comes from having to buy your significant other a gift. It needs to be considerably expensive (so it doesn’t look like you cheaped out), hopefully meaningful in some way, and of course you hope it is something they need AND will like. I mean, I need a dust buster, but would I want it as a gift? No.So to spare ourselves some of the holiday stress, we have decided NOT to exchange gifts this year. Instead, we are going to split the cost of a SICK tv. We went to Futureshop to peruse their selection and I can tell you that TV’s are not as simple as you might think. No more ‘plug and play’. There are LCD’s and LED’s and Plasma’s and Hertz and refresh rates and levels of light and dark in the area where the TV will go and PIXELS! And 1080P and….I don’t even remember what else. So after an hour or so of listening to the man explain the difference and the pro’s and con’s between the models- we are no further along than when we started…now, instead of arguing about size (47” vs 50”) we are now arguing the logistics of having a plasma (better for watching sports) vs a side lit, LED monitor that has crisp picture quality, and can handle how bright our living room is. Anyway, thankfully the decision will likely come down to price on Boxing Day. The better deal wins the dough.
I had a GREAT experience yesterday in an Apple store. Last year, my parents got me an ipod touch for Christmas. From the day I got it, the power button hasn’t worked. I didn’t want to go through all the hassle of finding the warranty and asking my parents for the receipt and having to get Futureshop to fix or replace it. So I basically just accepted the fact that while my ipod was sitting in my gym bag, the battery would drain because it couldn’t be shut off. So while Stu was Christmas shopping I dropped by the apple store to see if they could fix it or had a solution (without any paperwork). To my great surprise, they took one look at my ipod and said “ok, we will just get you another one”. BAM! DONE! New ipod! Just like that! The only downside is that I had to click ‘erase ipod’ when instructed. I lost a lot of music that was from other people’s computers. Oh well, it is worth not having an ipod that will shut off in the middle of my workout.
I am done my Christmas shopping early this year. No Christmas Eve shopping for me! The problem is that when you remove the stress of having to buy that ONE big gift for your sig. other…you feel like you have more money to play with. So yes, I went over. Waaaayyy over. Now I just have to come up with the $1000.00 for the tv…damn!
I am happy to report that in the many months since Halloween, the constant veggies and fish and chicken and lack of all things tasting good, have resulted in a (somewhat significant) weight loss. I even got to the point where the trainers nod at me in the gym now. You know those nerd-bombers that are there so often, they start to get to know the staff? I am that guy now! Anyway, my apartment is decorated to the NINES, even though no one will be there to see it Christmas Eve or Day. Instead, I am driving home to Bridgenorth to spend the night with my parents and then Christmas day, we are coming back to Markham to have a big family Christmas Dinner.
Anyway, enjoy the ice-free roads and the warm Christmas cheer. If you are on a diet, let yourself off easy for the holidays because nothing says Christmas like Shortbread cookies, candy canes and turkey. Be safe and enjoy the time off!
