Last Minutes

As I was returning a digital camera to a coworker, he conversationally asked if I was ready for the holidays. “Yeah...I probably should start shopping soon.” He raised an eyebrow. “Oh, you're one of those.”

I've never been exactly a last-minute Christmas shopper, more of a second-to-last minute guy. Except for one horrible, horrible year when I was a kid and somehow forgot, resulting in wrapping up items in my room to give my folks, I've been pretty diligent. For seven years I worked within driving distance of two major shopping malls, a Target, and a Best Buy, so I had no excuse. Even then, I'd usually buy the stuff, and bags would sit in my room until Christmas Eve, or the morning of the day we were visiting our extended family. Buying is easy; wrapping is hard.

I've been well aware of what I had to do this year, and even though my new job is in a far less central area, I had plenty of free weekends. Somehow, between bad weather and socializing, I suddenly found myself with a week to do all my shopping. I ventured out after work on Monday, taking nearly 45 minutes to reach the nearest Target. There wasn't much of a crowd, though as people finished their dinner and ventured out to shop, the volume of customers did increase. I faced the same attitudes in the aisles that one finds on the roads this time of year. People would stand blocking aisles, or leave shopping carts in front of shelves I needed to reach. No one ever seemed to hear me say “excuse me”, and perhaps 1 in 10 excused themselves rather than push right by. The holiday section was in particular disarray, but for the most part the merchandise was organized.

What I love about Target this time of year is how they'll take regular items, throw them in a “special” red box, and call them gifts. I very nearly bought my dad a car wax “gift set” just because it was in a nice box and had the word “gift” on it. I also came close to buying my cousin a playing card shuffler, again because it was in a red box. I don't even know if he plays cards. The electric coffee coaster to keep drinks warm seemed like a marginally safer bet, but I bolstered that with a gift card as I did for the rest of my family.

I guess the last few years I'd fallen into a rut of hats and gloves, as my mom specifically told me not to buy those items and she had plenty. Every year it gets harder and harder to find things for my parents. To this day my mom refuses to have a microwave in the house because of the “radiation”. But how would she feel about a DVD player? As I noticed how low the prices were on standard players, I debated whether or not to get one. Price is often the biggest objection my mom has to such items, coupled with her insistence that she'd never use it. A year or two ago, her VCR finally died, and my dad and I had to hunt down a new one once we convinced her the old one was beyond repair. I was actually surprised to still see VCRs on the shelves this year.

When my dad wanted to get my mom Shirley Temple movies last year, I was faced with a few challenges. VCRs aren't quite obsolete yet because many people record shows on tape rather than digitally. I haven't made that leap yet myself. But movies are rarely released on tape these days, let alone something as old as what my dad was looking for. “What store should I go to? Would Target have that?” I think he asked me a few days before their anniversary in October, and I ended up finding a few tapes on Amazon, albeit from a third party, and explained that it would take a few weeks. He decided they would be Christmas presents instead, they turned out to be shrink-wrapped in clamshell cases, and were surplus from a distributor. She loved them, and this year he asked me the same thing about a week ago. “Would your internet tell me if there's a good tape for your mother?” I love how he always refers to the internet as some sentient, mystic guide that grants me wishes if I ask the right way.

VHS is pretty much obsolete. DVDs are on their way out too, but it might take a few years. And unlike tapes, at least standard DVDs will still work in newer HD players. Movies impossible to find on tape might yet be available on DVD. And even if my mom absolutely hated the player, I was still spending less than some VHS movies cost back in the ‘80s. It's not like I'd be spending $200; less than $50 was a gamble I could afford. So, I bought a DVD player and the special edition of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, the movie they saw on their first date(or the night my dad proposed...I always forget which it is). I expect there will be a fight on Christmas morning, a lot of yelling in which phrases like “TAKE IT BACK!” or “YOU KEEP IT!” might be thrown about. Once the dust settles though, and I explain that I didn't spend a lot, that it plays CDs too, and won't take up much space in their room, hopefully I can hook it up and convince her. At the very least, I think “not radioactive” will be a selling point.

Maybe it was selfish on my part. Thinking ahead, I know this opens up more gift options. VHS tapes might be ridiculously cheap, but I stopped getting movies for my parents years ago. And they don't actually own a CD player outside the ones in their respective cars, so any music I've bought them has been strictly for road trips. In any case, once I put that in my shopping cart, the rest of the pieces fell into place. I was home by 8:30, exhausted, but relieved that my shopping was done. I'll probably venture out later in the week for food gifts, and the daunting task of wrapping is still on the horizon, but at least I'm past this first big hurdle. In a week, it will be over. In a year, I'll be running around at the last minute all over again....