Holiday Dollars And Sense

THEN:  CASH AND CARRY

NOW:  CLICK AND SAVE

The smell of peppermint coffee. The sound of bickering relatives. The sight of holiday shoppers bumping into each other. The taste of hot buttered rum. The feel of plastic as you swipe that credit card and try not to shudder.

Can it really be happening already? It seems like I was just biting into my first juicy peach and now the winter holidays are barreling toward me. No matter how tightly I close my eyes, cover my ears and duck my head – it’s time to shop!

Every day a new mailer arrives announcing the next “Best Sale” on toys, clothes, books, perfume, computers, cameras, cars. You name it. And not only mailers. This year my e-mail box is cluttered with ads from every site I’ve ever visited, plus some.

As a kid I don’t remember everything being so rushed. November was a wonderful month. The days grew cold and crisp. The leaves turned colors, fell onto the ground. We sat by the fire after dinner, watching TV – as a family.

“Shopping” meant grabbing our coats, piling into the car and driving to the mall. A place where my senses came alive with the surroundings.
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Not so anymore. With the invention of the Internet, shopping has changed dramatically. Online sites offer better bargains, no waiting in lines and no confrontations with angry shoppers. But my senses are paying the price. The data they process today is so different from back then.

Instead of seeing life-like, well-dressed mannequins, I stare at clothes and shoes and purses inside little boxes lined up neatly on my computer screen. Cyber lights blink on and off in the borders with the intention of giving me that holiday spirit. But more often than not, they give me a headache.

I used to love to touch soft cashmere sweaters that I might buy for my mom. Or pick up a book and flip through the pages. Now I touch my keyboard, scratch my head. Is the waist really that tiny on that dress? Are those gold buttons too gaudy for my sister? Tapping on the screen enlarges the image. But I still can’t feel the texture.

My computer beeping isn’t quite the same as hearing the sound of the cash register ringing up a sale. And unless I put on a CD, there isn’t any holiday music to keep me in the mood.

Now instead of tasting all those delicious samples offered in food shops such as Williams-Sonoma and Hickory Farms, I have a bitter taste in my mouth every time my computer “times out.” Because it’s inevitable. After hours of careful clicking and moving items into my shopping cart, suddenly I get an error message and the screen goes blank. And I have to start all over again.

After prolonged shopping sessions with my computer, the only thing that I can smell is myself. I get so wrapped up in wanting to finish that I sometimes forget to shower.

Online shopping doesn’t require much grooming. It doesn’t require interaction with real-live people. And after a while it can drive you senseless.

Sure there are good bargains and less crowds, but something is missing: good old-fashioned holiday camaraderie. And Santa Claus. The last time I checked he only made house calls on Christmas Eve.

I may still do some online shopping this year. But I think I also need to grab my coat, get in the car and head for the mall.

After I take as shower, that is.