Makin’ A List

So, I know you’ve been there…you make a comprehensive list of everything you plan to get at the store, every store you plan to visit, and every stop you need to make. You go to the store, forget the list, or half the stuff on it, can’t remember what store you wanted to go to, and end up at the gas station getting diet pepsi refills with a dazed expression on your face….or is that just me?:)

I like to picture the store I’m going to, and make the list match my route around the store. And then, I like to take someone with me, so when I realize I forgot sour cream, I can send someone (Blair) back to that section to get it.

Last night we went to Costco to ‘finish up’ the grocery shopping.

At this very minute, Blair is at the local grocery store getting the stuff we forgot.

Later, a friend called me from Costco (Hi B!) I begged her to please pick up something else we forgot…

Christmas shopping is like that, too.

One year, Blair and I were up, late Christmas Eve, wrapping gifts for our small children. At the time, we only had 4 and I was preggo with #5. Even if you only get every child 3 or 4 things, if you have 4 kids, that’s 12-16 gifts to wrap! After we had ‘wrapped things up’ (hahahahahah! ahem…) we went in to load the stockings.

B: Where’s the stocking stuff?

Me: I don’t know. Where’d you put it?

B: Me? I didn’t ever have it, you took care of that.

Me: Me? Not me. That was you, you were in charge of stockings.

Us: CRAP!

Us: Sneaking out of the house at 2am to find some open store/gas station/drugstore from which to purchase ANYTHING that could be construed by a child under 10 as a stocking stuffer.

Next morning…

Alex (9 yrs old): Cool! Multi-colored trees! And they smell! Awesome!

Melinda (6yrs old): Yay! Chapstick, and…what’s this again?

Me: Travel sized tissue! Fun!

My point is, just when you think you remembered it all, you remember that thing you forgot. My favorite is when we’ve all finished opening the presents Christmas morning and realize we forgot about one…

B: So, Rachel, how happy are you we got you that CD player you wanted so bad?

Rachel: What CD player?

B: Maren, can I see you in the bedroom for a minute?

We beat a hasty exit to frantically search our room, then the garage, for the CD player we remembered to BUY, but not to wrap. We usually find one or two other things along the way…

B: Hey! Here’s that movie we were supposed to give the kids last year!

Me: Merry Christmas, honey! Here’s the new (last year) John Grisham book!

Maybe my point is supposed to be about the true meaning of Christmas…about love and kindness and the birth of our Savior. And less about finding the perfect gift at the 7-eleven at 3am…

On the other hand, those are the memories I have of Christmas with my kids. And thank heaven I remember them!