holiday (retail) therapy

tonight on south congress, an evening walking up and down between shops of this and that in search of perfect and unique christmas gifts. giving gifts is one of my favorite things about christmas. i don't do it for quid pro quo - though i certainly enjoy it - to make the holiday for me. instead, it's like there's some sort of internal competition i'm running, this quest for something...something just right...something hopefully needed and wanted...either expressed by the person or in some cosmic way that only i have gleaned from a bit of soul or personality i've witnessed in my friends and family. i hope that whatever i give it can bring a smile to that person on at least a few days other than christmas.

for some people, i have an idea about what i'm looking for...for others, i've no friggin' clue, but inevitably i find it anyway...somewhere along my window shopping path, i stumble upon it. (that's right, i said upon it.)

a pair of carved stone elephant bookends...some painted cast iron bells from japan...beautiful chimes that tinkle so delicately they remind me of harp strings...a tiny soapstone box, carved so finely you can't see the seam between top and bottom...a t-shirt of a tortoise saying in a cartoon balloon "Sloo-oo-ooow it down, man"...a beaten up cowbell from Peru (trust me, for the recipient, this is THE perfect gift)...

and then, walking back down the street toward the capitol, as the lights strung on congress gleam ahead and the stores begin closing...there, in the window, i see it, and it's as if i'm in a movie and the music rises in the background. it's a beauty of a dress...just above the knee, made of charcoal grey knit shot through with silver threads, a high neck collar draped open, unbuttoned over detailed darts and seams...so pretty...i walk ahead to the doors...damn, they're closed! i step back away from the glass to see where i am...thank god they're closed! leave it to me to have such expensive taste. ah well, just seeing it and having it in my memory for some future heroine to wear is enough.

i walk on and head to a new candy shop/soda fountain modeled on those from a few generations ago...i order a hand-jerked (stop laughing) RC cola from the soda fountain and it is soooo good! so sweet and tasty, but a few blocks later i toss the still mostly full cup in the trash since its iciness isn't doing much to keep me warm. night has brought the temperature down a good twenty degrees and the wind has picked up and now i'm walking against it, and it is cold as balls! so i make it to jo's coffee and they've got outdoor heat lamps and can make me a hot chocolate with soy milk. heaven! and lo, there's a big chocolate lab named Charlie sitting with his owner. i pet him (Charlie, not the owner) as i start to write and soon he lays down at my feet. under the heat lamp i write in my little leather journal...the traffic of south congress zips by (does anyone go the speed limit on congress?) and i smile to myself, taking in the postcard picture of both christmas and neon lights dotting the streetscape.

and so, you see, this is why i love giving gifts - the finding of them alone is a wonderful day and a bit of a gift for myself. as for all of the people who complain and stress out about the christmas rush and shopping, blah, blah, blah...well, i say to them, abandon your malls and your endless chain stores (shop online for all that!). instead, seek out the little shops about town with character, and characters, chat lightly with strangers, and in the quick cold walks between stores, think on your loved ones. imagine their faces when they see your gifts and find something they never knew they always wanted. i think it will make both your days!

and on that note, merry christmas and happy hunting!