To continue on the Christmas-themed streak, I shall tell of the wonders of present-buying without going to the store; namely, shopping at Amazon.com.
I believe last year was the first year I bought all our Christmas gifts online, and it went quite smoothly, except for the bit where they sent me a PS2 game when I ordered an Xbox version. Even that worked out well, as they sent me the correct game without me having to send the PS2 version back. Come to think of it we still have that game still in the wrapper. Anybody want it — if we can find it?
Everyone will tell you that the best part of buying online is being able to avoid the crazy holiday buyfest that goes on this time of year in all the stores around America. This is quite nice, of course, but my favourite part, actually, is getting the packages mailed to you. There’s not much that is more fun than arriving at home — or work, for that matter — and finding a cardboard package with your name on it. It doesn’t matter that what’s inside isn’t actually for you; it’s just fun to get packages. Even the word ‘packages’ is fun to say. Even the Grinch knows this: “Packages, boxes, or bags!”
So it’s Christmastime again, and I have been doing my online shopping; mainly through Amazon, of course. Not only does it have practically everything (except wacky office toys) but it remembers what you’ve previously bought and when, stuff you’ve drooled over before, and now it even has a Gift Management Center.
This Gift Center thing is quite a trip. It started off by having me check all my past purchases to see if they were gifts, and if they were, I would enter in who they were for. Then you take all those gift recipients and enter their birthdays, anniversaries and the like, stuff you’d like to get them, and you can even connect them to their Wish List if they have one. No more constantly trying to find your specific Smith Jones’ Wish List in a sea of 200 Smith Jonses’ Wish Lists!
This will also help me next Christmas — by the time December 2006 rolls around I know I will have forgotten what I got for whom. Heck, I’ve already done that once this year; Amazon had to remind me.
If you still like going to the mall for your shopping, that’s cool; have fun. Maybe you like the excitement, or it’s tradition, or you need more stress in your life. As for me, I’m going to sit at home and wait for pretty cardboard packages to come knocking.
But then again, I might just make a run to the mall on Christmas Eve because, well, it’s funny. I am reminded of Sunglasses At Night, but that’s another story.