Countdown to Christmas - Time Spent with Sweetie

December 19, 2009

"Once again we find ourselves enmeshed in the Holiday Season,

that very special time of year when we join with our loved ones

in sharing centuries-old traditions

such as trying to find a parking space at the mall."

Dave Barry

Sweetie and I took off this afternoon for some last minute Christmas shopping. If the truth be told, it was really the start of the shopping, not the end. Knowing that we should have had a list to check twice. We should of had a plan all mapped out so we'd know where to go and how to get there. But, in the spirit of the Magi we decided to set out to follow our own star and see where we it might lead us.

It couldn't have been a more perfect afternoon. We did a few errands then headed south for St. Augustine. Left in the capable hands of my sister, and knowing Dad had the prospect of the battery holder he's building to keep him occupied, I trusted that he would be fine. I put all caregiving thoughts on hold. I relaxed into the peacefulness of just Sweetie and I with time on our hands

Once we hit the outskirts of the nation's oldest city, we had a few thousand more people to contend with. But what's Christmas shopping without crowds and looking for a parking place? Sweetie maneuvered the nation's oldest cobblestone streets managing to avoid pedestrians who stepped out in front of moving cars because the sidewalks were packed. I began to take in the lighted trees and shop windows. I felt the stirrings of that excited kid feeling. What is it about millions of little shiny lights that makes things seem so magical?

We found the restaurant that had been recommended to us and ate delightfully delicious plates of pasta and homemade bread sticks right out of the oven. We wandered in and out of souvenir shops, not buying so much as peeking in to see what there might be.

Right off the bat I fell for a purse shaped like a Christmas tree. Not knowing a Mary Frances handbag from any other, I walked right in and asked the price - a mere $250.oo with a discount of questionable percentage (some signs said 30%, some said 50, as if either would make much of a difference.) There's not too many times a year one can actually use a Christmas tree purse. And it was so dolled up with glitz and glam that one would have to be going to the theater, or sneaking into a White House gala to really get away with it. But still it was tres magnifique so I put it on my wish list just to see what Santa is capable of!

Sweetie got a little tired but waited patiently for me as I enjoyed the sights and sounds. Not to mention the smell of fudge. I realized I'd over done things when I came out of a shop and my true love looked frightfully cold and nearing a 10 on his I've-had-enough-meter. We headed back to the car which we'd parked in a lot with no attendant to collect the $9.00 fee. A Christmas miracle to be sure!

I ran across the street to get a picture of the lit up trees while Sweetie warmed himself and the car. Then, driving past horse driven carriages as they clip-clopped down the street, we headed for home. A perfect ending to a perfect day.