Holiday Shopping with Noel & More

Saturday, November 21, 2020

More pre-holiday shopping with Noel in St. Paul today. We weren't able to do lunch. We haven't wanted to brave eating indoors during the pandemic but, even if we had, the governor has closed down restaurants again due to the troubling Covid surge of late. We bickered in the car a little bit on the way to our first stop but recognized we're on edge due to pandemic fatigue. I lifted my foot off the brake while waiting for a light to turn at an intersection and startled a grumpy old man trying to cross the street. He cussed me out. I stopped rolled down the window to say sorry. He cussed me out some more but I told him to have a nice day. He just shrugged his shoulders and kept walking so I may have diffused his anger a little bit. Anyway, we're all on edge. 

Both Noel and I were rather underwhelmed with the stores' offerings of holiday items which is consistent with what we've already experienced this season but also the last few years or more. I picked up some mercury glass ornaments from Marsha at Gypsy Moon. I need more of those like I need a hole in the head but I want to support small business more so this year than ever. 

During cocktail hour Dale and I snacked and listened to holiday music. Today I heard my first holiday song while shopping in Anthropologie. Sunshine by Sia came on as Noel and I looked at their vastly overpriced stuff. It's funny because last year the first holiday song I heard while shopping was Puppies are Forever also by Sia. Anyway we listened to the whole album tonight. I’ve been playing it the last few years and Dale, not caring for it initially, is starting to warm up to it. 

While on the topic of holiday music I'll mention that Dale and I also listened to new Christmas selections from Stacey Kent, one of our favorite artists. The songs on the 4 track EP are all overdone but, hey, it's Stacey Kent. She could sing the phone book and make it worth listening to.