Scrooges confuse me, too
Lights are twinkling on our tree, and I’m curled up on our couch, filled with pizza and a little wine and the contented feeling built on conversation with close friends.
We spent the day reading Abbey’s new Christmas book and making hair bows at a play date, and I finally felt like I was able to breathe and enjoy the chill in the air that signals it’s time to remember my scarf each time I leave the house.
Yet a few things linger in my mind, prompting me to purge my thoughts in the hope that they’ll be exorcised and allow me to enjoy my chopped-off-at-the-top tree with only the holiday spirit brewing in my mind.
Dylan and I waited patiently near the elevator door at our bookstore today, and anyone who’s been shopping with Dylan knows that patiently waiting isn’t his usual shopping demeanor.
When he happily says, “Tank oo” as the elevator doors opened and hold onto the rail on the side of the wall, it is a little out of line, Ms. Lady-on-the-Elevator, to shoot him a withering glance and say, “Well, THAT’S not necessary.”
He may not understand, but I do, and it makes me want to press the stop button on the elevator and make you late for your next stop.
Please know, as I attempt to explain to my daughter that the candy canes in the end cap are cherry and not mint, it is only partially an accident when my cart bumps into your rear end as you cut in front of me in the awkward line at the grocery store.
As an ambulance screams down the street and I pull over to the side and slow to a stop, don’t shake your arms and yell at me. I can see you in my rearview mirror.
I know it takes me a while to load groceries into a car and two kids into car seats. Honking at me as you wait for my parking spot doesn’t make wrestling a toddler in a winter coat any easier.
Holiday shopping and waiting in lines and driving in extra traffic are the dark side of the holiday hustle and bustle, and I know they can be annoying. And really, these things that struck me as utterly rude at the time really aren’t that terrible.
Still, as I run my errands tomorrow, I will try to smile and hope I’m not on someone else’s list of exasperating holiday shoppers.
what someone said that?. I think it is rather cute that the kids hold on to the rail. For them, it is entirely necessary to hold on to a moving object when they are less than three feet tall. Smile and remember the Tank oo to the elevator doors, very precious.
ReplyDeleteOh dear... I know I'm supposed to tell you not to sweat those little things, but ugh, they ARE annoying (okay, I'm completely being Sweaty now). One of the things that could make me go from a decent human being to batsh*t crazy was when an adult was rude to my child. I mean, hey, you're an adult, you've had the chance to learn your manners far longer than my child. Rude behavior was totally uncalled for!
ReplyDeleteI know :( I try not to let the little things bother me too much, but ugh, they piled up a little. So I let them loose into the atmosphere, and now I feel better. Why be rude when it's just as easy to be kind?
ReplyDeleteI know Mom! Thankfully, he is too little to understand that she was being strangely rude with an almost two year old ;)
ReplyDeleteThe holidays seem to bring out the worst in some people. Sorry you had to experience this. :)
ReplyDeleteThe people who honk while waiting for my parking spot make me totally crazy. Three kids and a cartfull of groceries... yeah, go take the spot 3 further down- I promise the extra few feet of walking will take you less time than waiting for me!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely. 2 or 3 spots isn't worth the hassle of waiting for me to find the sippy cup that rolled under the seat-the one my son NEEDS this instant.
ReplyDeleteThanks :) Writing it out actually made me feel a little silly, but better in a way, too!
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine being unkind to a little one with manners!! I'll bet her children are not as well-behaved as your sweet child:)
ReplyDeleteI can't believe she said that to a child!
ReplyDeleteI wish holidays wouldn't bring out the worst in some people. I have to finish up my shopping today and tomorrow. I'm afraid of the people I may run in to (figuratively and literally!).
Holidays do seem to bring out the worst in people. It's nice to know some people aren't like that (and I mean you).
ReplyDeleteHmm, well I did kind of bump my cart into the cutting lady...(oops.)
ReplyDeleteHe had no idea, thankfully! We're still shopping too. Good luck out there!
ReplyDeleteWell, to be honest, my sweet child is not always so sweet in the stores. But she didn't know that :)
ReplyDeleteWait, WHY was that lady in the elevator so pissed off? Because Dylan said thank-you to the elevator doors opening? I think that sounds downright adorable. When did children showcasing their good manners become "out of line?"
ReplyDeleteAnd the person honking at you as you loaded groceries and toddlers into your car is just plain crazy. As if they can't find another space, even if it means their lazy ass has to walk a teensy bit farther.
I just get so annoyed when I hear about people like this! I am just tempted to retaliate, like sit and have a snack in the car while that guy keeps honking and all the other parking spots are taken. :-)
ReplyDeleteThis is exactly why I did almost all my shopping online this year! Its bad enough dealing with everyone in a hurry on the roads! :)
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I hate any sort of honking for any reason that is not an emergency. So at the holidays when the rate of honking increases I get irritated more.
ReplyDeleteMore fodder for my recent post about the "spirit" of the holidays; sorry you have to put up with windbags, too!
ReplyDeleteI'd really like to slap that lady...she should have been praising him for saying "tank oo" becuase so many kids don't even know that word ;). I think he sounded too cute. I love the holidays....god knows I do and I love the shopping but I don't like impatient and cranky people...no matter what time of the year it is. Hopefully the rest of your shopping trips go well!!!! Ho, ho, ho xoxoxo
ReplyDeleteOk - it looks like I can post today . . . I'm not about to tell my IT that, suddenly, disqus is open. So, yay for actually being able to say "I'm here."
ReplyDeleteAt the same time, boo to all of the scrooges that you're dealing with.
Perhaps it's because I'm a guy, and a big guy at that, but as soon as someone honks at me because they're waiting for my parking spot, well, I just stop what I'm doing & stare at them.
I swear, the holiday season not only brings out the best in many, but the worst in quite a few! Grrr, that elevator lady! I think I would have yelled "Merry Christmas to you too!" in my loudest voice.
ReplyDeleteYay for the Disqus sneaking through :)
ReplyDeleteI need to take you shopping with me. I am not too scary, even with a glare on my face ;)
I try to remember that people are just stressed, but when people get weird and rude with the kids, it's irritating.
ReplyDeleteI actually did some shopping today without the kids, and I was so glad. People are getting nuts out there. I need to just be done with the shopping and enjoy my candy canes or something.
ReplyDeleteI could go on and on :)
ReplyDeleteYes, honking is supposed to be a warning. Not a "Hurry up; I'm too lazy to walk" device.
ReplyDeleteI told Ryan I'm going to do much more of it online next year. This is getting crazy!
ReplyDeleteThat's what I should have done. Opened the kids' crackers and had a couple of them :)
ReplyDeleteI think she was actually unhappy that he was holding onto the rail in the elevator. She is obviously right that it's not necessary, since he is in a stroller, and I am holding the stroller. Yet, it doesn't hurt anything, so why get all worked up?
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure there were spots two spots down from mine. People are nuts. It took much longer to wait than it would have to walk two spots.
Back when I was a retail drone, I saw two women almost come to blows over who was next in line during the Christmas rush. I had no idea what to do, since "The customer is always right" didn't seem to help in the situation when two women were calling each other a bitch over who got to get my attention. I waited patiently with glazed eyes and a fixed smile on my face and tried to be extra nice and considerate whenever I was out shopping thereafter.
ReplyDeleteI'm so with you. Someone got mad at me in the mall parking lot yesterday. I was loading both kids in the car (my first time at the mall with both of them), and she asked if she could have our prime spot. I told her yes, but explained it was a "family parking" spot--she was alone. She zoomed off. Was that necessary????
ReplyDeleteOh seriously. People are just goofy. They probably spent longer fighting over the spot in line than it would have for one of them to just let the other go first, right? I have worked the craziness of retail at the holidays, too. It's an experience like no other.
ReplyDeleteSigh. It's another one of those things where people get so worked up about parking instead of just walking those extra few feet. Let the new moms with adorable little babies (smile) have those spots in peace.
ReplyDelete