IT WAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS

It sure doesn’t feel like Christmas out here in the sunny, mild west coast, but the stores are as busy as any place in Canada, on the day before the BIG day, and I for one, am glad to be home! I just arrived home from a stroll though the mall, for last minutes things. It really was a stroll too, because it took forever to get anyplace, because of the crowds.

I had a laugh watching the men…(a favourite past-time, any time of the year!!), but got a chuckle at them, standing, lined up, practically the length of the mall, waiting to to buy gift certificates!

Then I went to The Body Shop and it too was full of men, talking on cell phone’s, likely to their girlfriends, best friend, asking what kind of scent they would probably like best. All with a panic look on their faces.

Then dumb Linda did a faux pas…..which isn’t unusual!!

I love a can of Poppy-Cock for Christmas….it’s just not Christmas without it!! You know, that caramelized popcorn and nuts in a round can?? Well, I’ve seen it many times, on other occasions, but declined to buy it, hopefully, to avoid adding more pounds to this already overweight body! Gosh, I’m so sick of Dr. Oz!!! He’s really given me a guilt trip! Him and his truth tube, I’d like to shove where the sun doesn’t shine!!!

Anyway….

I saw cans of them stacked up in Shopper’s Drug Mart, but again, my will power held out! That and I already had too much to carry and could likely find it in the grocery store at the other end of the mall, just in case my will power went down, down, down!

Well, I walked three times around that store, looking for it in the big candy displays throughout the store, and finally asked a guy who was stacking shelves, and he looked and couldn’t find any, so told me to ask the Customer Service Dept. where it would be found, as he thought he had seen it somewhere. By this time, I WANTED A CAN OF POPPYCOCK AND THE HECK WITH DR. OZ! Well, the girl from CS took off and went looking for it and again, it was another three times around the store, me,huffing and puffing, while trying to catch up to her, as she raced up and down each aisle, with me following, lugging along my heavy parcels,  before she turned to me and said..”What is poppycock?”

At that moment, what festive feeling I had disappeared in the wind!!!

I snapped at her to “Just forget it!!” If I hadn’t of been so tired, I may have come out with a bit more of non Christmas goodwill, thrown at her!!!

So, I go up to the cashier, who is a jolly, and happy young man, wearing a Santa hat and he certainly seems to be enjoying himself. Under my breath, but I guess, just a bit too loud that he heard me, I said..” I can’t believe I won’t have any PoppyCock for Christmas”. He stopped what he was doing and said “EXCUSE ME?”

I then realized, he likely heard more of the last part of my sentence, because his face got bright red…however, not as bright as mine got when I realized what he thought he heard!!!

He said, he had never heard a customer say that before! Well, I broke up, I could hardly stand up, and I laughed until the tears came down my cheeks, as he stood watching me. Finally, I could catch my breath to explain what I had said and what I had met. He did know what Poppy Cock was, but said he only did hear me say the last part and none of the poppy part!

My Christmas Spirit came back as we both stood there laughing, and as I laughed and giggled my way out of the store, he hollered at me…

HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

YOU ALSO, I hollered back!

To everyone out there reading this, I wish you all a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!

May all your dreams come true and Santa bring you all you wished for!!