Christmas Shopping

Christmas shopping was on my To Do list every day last week, but I never seemed to find time. Thursday night I vowed to start as soon as I got off work Friday. The snowstorm ruined that plan. By Saturday morning I was panicking and feeling sheepish about starting so late. (I usually try to finish no later than two weeks before Christmas because I hate crowds.) A few minutes later a radio report made me feel better. Apparently some poll determined that as of Saturday morning nearly 30 million other U.S. males had yet to start their Christmas shopping. When I arrived at my first destination, a very popular and trendy shop that specializes in women’s jewelry, clothes and accessories, I didn’t need any poll to tell me what was going on. The counter was stacked three deep. When I finally got my turn, I mentioned to the saleswoman what I had heard on the radio and mentioned that I thought I might have heard it wrong. “There can’t be 40 million males who haven’t started their shopping yet,” I told her. She looked around at the store filled with men and boys and told me that I had heard the figure correct. I finished most of my shopping Saturday. Tonight and Tuesday I’ll pick up a couple of stocking stuffers. No pressure because the main items are out of the way. I’d like to hear from men who still haven’t started their shopping yet. Why do you wait so long?