Christmas spirit

A few weeks ago I had to go to the Apple store to get my cell phone battery replace.

It was ridiculous.  So many people in the store.  I couldn't figure it out, until I realized it was the Saturday before Christmas.  It's weird when you are out of sync with the rest of the world, but doing the same thing.  Like when I went shopping on Thanksgiving, but just because the kids were in bed and I wanted to go shopping, not because I wanted to tackle someone to the ground for a toaster.

So the battery replacement process took 45 minutes, during which time I wandered around the shopping center.  There was Christmas music playing, I bought myself a coffee.  Browsed books.  Bought some cheese.  It was lovely.  So much festive hustle and bustle.

"I should do this more often," I thought to myself.  "I need to stop shopping on-line so much. I'm missing out on the spirit of Christmas because I'm not out here, living life!"

And then a lady walked by with a sobbing three-year-old attached to her leg, and CARRYING a flailing five-year-old.

I realized, then, that I wasn't feeling the Christmas spirit.  I was feeling what it was like to spend an hour out alone.