Unnatural habitat

“Where can I find Britney Spears?” asked the frustrated man to the clerk stocking CDs behind me. He was without a doubt a father, uncle or family friend in search of a memorable holiday gift for someone I would safely guess to be a female in her early teens. There we were, all of us wandering around this large music store, looking a little bewildered as we hoped to find something within an acceptable price range for someone we cared about but perhaps did not love and maybe only considered an acquaintance.

This was my last stop on my holiday shopping trek. I admit that I enjoy observing fellow holiday shoppers, the facial expressions alone speak volumes. My personal favorites are the men, especially men in search of a nice outfit in the women’s section of a department store. These men are not shopping for their sister or mother, definitely a wife or new girlfriend because they look like they’d rather be dealing with kidney stones. I can almost feel the tension sitting on their shoulders, the expectation weighing on them because they know the wrong gift or size sends the wrong message with catastrophic results.

Many women, on the other hand, are in their natural habitat when it comes to holiday shopping. I’m not much of a shopper but I know for the most part where to find what. However, some women take their shopping list and run… you over. Elbows are out, helmets are on, some women rarely smile (maybe that’s to avoid cracking the makeup) and they’re bold in their demands and treatments of sales clerks. I feel sorry for their spouses.

I always end my holiday shopping at the music store because it’s easy, fun, I always remember someone I forgot, and I usually treat myself to a little something while I’m there. I ended up with a stack of six CDs and the checkout clerk loved the pick on top.

“I’m a HUGE Coldplay fan,” he said, showing off the key chain he bought at their latest concert. “This is my absolute favorite CD,” he continued, listing his favorite tracks. Then he got down to the last two CDs in my pile and noticed, beaming, that I had two more of the same Coldplay X & Y album. “I’m a huge fan of Coldplay, too,” I said.

He asked if I needed a gift receipt for my CDs. I thanked him no. “I’m going to make my family and friends love Coldplay and all the gifts I bought them this year.” And on that high note, my holiday people watching and shopping came to an end…well, after making it out of the final parking lot alive.