Shop Til You Drop
November 16, 2007
Every year before Christmas my good friend and I go away shopping for the weekend. We have been doing it for over 10 years now and I look forward to it all year long. Two whole days of shopping, eating whenever and whatever we want without worrying about little people, having entire conversations uninterrupted.
We catch up on all the news of our respective families. Watch bad television that never, EVER involves sports or bloodshed. And get all of our shopping done.
We also wrap all of our presents in our hotel room while eating candy and drinking wine. And since I have more children than she does, and therefore I have more presents, she invariably ends up wrapping lots of mine too. Lord knows my husband would never wrap a present.
But by far the best part about the weekend is the laughter. The pee in your pants, tears streaming down your face laughter that makes people around us spontaneously burst into laughter also. We like to think they are laughing with us.
My kids are now all handing me crumpled bits of paper with items frantically scrawled on the lines, pictures torn from toy catalogs glued to the paper, and MOM written with a little heart for an O. The worst thing you can say to my children right now is “That is made in China.” And my children are tormenting each other, like only loving siblings can do, by saying this. This led to my daughter yelling tonight, “Stop saying China. I don’t want to hear China again!”
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Have fun…what a great tradition. Looking forward to a good post when you return. And to read about what you bought for the kids!
November 16th, 2007 at 8:17 pmThis sounds like such fun - I’ll have to see about starting a tradition of my own.
November 16th, 2007 at 8:48 pmThat’s a fantastic idea. I thought my ten hours on a shopping bus was fun, but two full days with hotel and wine included is way better.
Wrap as you buy is such a fine idea too, lord how I hate the wrapping frenzy on Christmas Eve!
November 16th, 2007 at 9:22 pmThat sounds like the best time. Can I come! I might even help wrap a present or two, but I can’t guarantee it wouldn’t like like a chimpanzee did it.
November 16th, 2007 at 9:29 pmChina is such a dirty dirty word. heh.
November 16th, 2007 at 9:41 pmChina. China. China. China. China.
I came from a family of ten. Any loving sibling would say that.
And I am very jealous of your shopping trip. By all means, let me take this out on your daughter.
November 16th, 2007 at 9:54 pmthis would be extra funnny in my house, due to the fact that my oldest couldn’t pronounce “vagina” and would call it a “china”.. ( he’s almost 17 now, so he really loves when I remind him of this ) . Was it you who mentioned that book…? A woman who tried to go for X long w/o buying anything made in china? I’ts crazy impossible. I was just in the bathroom and with in arms reach of the toliet ( thought I’d share) EVERYTHING I could touch was made in china. shower curtain, bath toys, trash basket,….. have a great weekend ….!!!!!! fun fun fun
November 16th, 2007 at 10:05 pmsorry , part 2, and I am clearly an idiot, I cant seem to set up /access to flicker account … do you have an inservice available for the techno challenged?
thanks
November 16th, 2007 at 10:14 pmMy six year old was having meltdowns about the toys in our house being made in China.
By the way, I envy you the shopping trip. I’m hoping someday to be able to do this with my sisterinlaw. We were supposed to do it this year and it didn’t work out.
My sisinlaw used to be my college roommate and is one of my best friends.
November 16th, 2007 at 10:22 pmWould it be too much to ask you to stop by my house on your way there and pick me up? (I’m just a hop, skip and a jump away… in California…)
November 16th, 2007 at 10:58 pmOoh! I wanna go too!
November 17th, 2007 at 12:08 amAm I an awful person because I don’t really care if stuff was made in China? I’m not really clear on why you’re boycotting it. Maybe you could explain in a post and sway me to your point of view?
November 17th, 2007 at 12:30 amMy mother-in-law came up with a great idea in regards to avoiding all the wastefulness, time it takes to wrap, and clean up of wrapping presents. She made us all a very simple LARGE Cloth X-MAS SACK w/ drawstring. Everyone just puts their presents in the person’s sack with a simple, tiny tag, and on X-mas morning, we each take turns pulling out a gift from our sack. The best part is that their personalized, REUSABLE, and don’t take up almost any storage because you just fold them up flat.
November 17th, 2007 at 2:41 amMy mom does the sack too, but it’s just not nearly as fun as ripping and destroying all that wrapping into a big mess all over the floor!
I’m jealous of that weekend thing. But I guess I’d need shopping money to do it, a hubby and kid who weren’t utterly dependent on me, and, um, a friend!
November 17th, 2007 at 8:26 amSounds wonderful. I was wondering though, ” My kids are now all handing me crumpled bits of paper with items frantically scrawled on the lines, pictures torn from toy catalogs glued to the paper, and MOM written with a little heart for an O.” Does Santa come to your house or do they not believe or is it that you buy them presents plus Santa? Just wondering!
November 17th, 2007 at 11:11 amThe two days away with the shopping and the wrapping taken care of is just pure brilliance.
November 17th, 2007 at 12:41 pmI so love your stories : )
November 17th, 2007 at 3:02 pmSo what is the ambush upon your car like when you return home? Do any of your kids unwrap and try to rewrap the presents?
November 17th, 2007 at 4:56 pmThat sounds sounds like so much fun!
November 17th, 2007 at 9:05 pmWith all of the toy recalls of late my four point eight year old stated most emphatically “China is for losers!”. Oh my……..
November 17th, 2007 at 9:14 pmThat sounds like heaven. Nothing better than shopping, eating, and random silliness with wine!
November 18th, 2007 at 3:47 pmSo, American Girl dolls are made in China. AMERICAN Girl dolls. Their website is all proud of their warehouse in WI but those are just for distribution. Can you imagine the outrage if those dolls aren’t safe? The dolls about this country’s history made not made here.
Oh, my six year old really, really wants one. Sigh.
November 18th, 2007 at 6:01 pmOH! I need to find someone to do this with! I love this idea.
I love ending my sentences with “with”!
I love that my 6th grade English teacher doesn’t read your blog!
November 19th, 2007 at 2:52 amGirl’s shopping weekend!
Love love love it!
My ex-sister-in-law and I started doing this years ago. Then the hubby and I split. We decided we were still going to do it. It was the perfect healing balm I needed, knowing that while my marriage to her brother didn’t last, our friendship (and the shopping) will. Oh and as for the pee in your pants laughter, she actually threatened to bring depends to protect us from the giggles next time.
Have fun!
November 19th, 2007 at 10:38 amWhat a wonderful tradtion. I typically despise shopping, except around the holidays. I can’t wait to get started! Sounds like you and your friend have the right idea.
November 19th, 2007 at 12:30 pmWouldn’t you know it….all the good stuff comes from China these days.
November 19th, 2007 at 6:20 pmA girls productive, yet insanely fun, shopping weekend, that’s my new Christmas wish list!!
November 20th, 2007 at 4:30 pm