Christmas Shopping Then and Now

There was a time, a lifetime ago, when I was ready for Christmas before Thanksgiving. As a single mother with two boys, I was always on the look-out for bargains. I bought things throughout the year, and my brother was overseas so I had to have packages wrapped and mailed long before Thanksgiving was even on the horizon.

When the Christmas season was in full swing and the malls were all decorated, I had already finished my Christmas shopping. I would visit the malls and they were so beautiful and now so memorable. I wasn't desperately searching for gifts so I wasn't rushed. I could appreciate the imaginations and budgets of the stores' talented decorators. Fairyland was all around. Carols were playing in the background, families were shopping, laughing, arguing, both kids and adults were making decisions, rushing from store to store. One mall's ice rink displayed skating talents and costumes and more laughter. I live in the Dallas area so I could enjoy Neiman Marcus at its best. Christmas was in bloom. What a great way to share the feeling of Christmas.

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