1 Mother 2 Another

The holidays are rapidly gaining momentum and I’m becoming a wee bit scared.  I mean, I knew this year would be different from every other thus far; I knew all my elaborate cookie decorating, our 80+ person Christmas party, our constant entertaining would be severely curtailed.

But I didn’t quite understand I’d have to give up the shopping thing.

I confess it – I love to shop.  Not in that, “I’m so unhappy and need a pair of Manolos” type of way, but in a sort of “I think I’ll wander around SoHo to see what strikes my fancy for Uncle So-and-So” kind of way.  I love heading out with a vague idea of things to buy and people for whom I’m shopping, and simply spend hours looking around and buying.  Brian hates it.  He’s a take a list, get in, get it, get out, and no one gets hurt kinda guy.

And it’s not that I’m not organized, or don’t plan ahead.  I have an entire notebook dedicated just to gift-giving, where I jot down items I buy for people throughout the year so I don’t forget I’ve got them squirreled away when their birthday comes.  I love buying something for my dad in August that I won’t give him until November (birthday) or December (Christmas).  Many times in years past, I’d teach an early shift then shop the rest of the day away, coming home late with my arms laden with bags.  There’s something inherently satisfying about seeing the items piling up, the treasure troves of gifts to be handed out, things that weren’t on any list, which I picked out on my own.

This year, unfortunately, there’s no stroller under-basket big enough to fool me into thinking I can tackle the New York crowds at Bloomie’s.  Plus there’s the fact that Madeleine would tolerate about, oh, twenty minutes of the throng of shoppers before stating her desire to go to a more quiet place.  Loudly.  So I’ve resigned myself to doing the bulk of my shopping online, which means I’ve got to know what I’m looking for before I go.  How can I get inspired by using a search engine?  Can’t be done.

So I’m panicking a bit; I hate having to use someone’s wish list like a grocery list, checking items off and getting nothing more.  I’ve got several friends who’ve become new parents like us this year and I dislike being in a city of such originality and resorting to Gapkids Online.

I refuse to succumb!  I’ll be scouring the web over the next few days, plumbing the depths of the Internet as I look for things that are original, cute, reasonably priced, and oh yes, can be delivered by UPS.  So stay tuned; rest assured that I’ll be passing on any great sites I find.

Does anyone else tip their UPS guy at the end of the year?  Seeing as how we’re on a first-name basis . . .