Advice for next Christmas

Avoid the mall at all costs on Christmas Eve.

Avoid the grocery stores at all costs on Christmas Eve.

Avoid Walmart at 5:30pm on Christmas Eve at all costs (half hour before closing time).

Avoid the parking lots at these places. Or be prepared to circle around for 20 minutes looking for a spot, or stalking other people hoping they lead you to their car but only find out they're taking you around in circles for the fun of it.

Avoid making eye contact with other shoppers on Christmas Eve. One look will make that stressed out shopper take his/her holiday cheer out on you: "I know you ain't got more important business than me, so hold your horses!" ; "Don't you dare take that candlestick, I saw it first from three aisles away." ; "I have to pay an extra $4 for an inflated basketball? What kind of &%*) is that?"

If you must visit the mall/grocery store/Walmart on Christmas Eve, wear comfortable shoes and be prepared to wait 30 minutes in the Express Check-out lane.

Avoid the mall at all costs the day after Christmas. Unless you are able to make it to the mall at 7am, it's not worth it. People are still under holiday stress. Only now, they have gift cards for fuel!

Avoid driving to the mall the day after Christmas.

Avoid the parking lots the day after Christmas.

Avoid the Apple Store the day after Christmas. 20 minutes of waiting in line just to make an exchange. It wasn't too bad of a wait when I discovered I could surf the web from one of their computers (the Boy had to wait in line--hee hee).

And if I had to be at the airport on any of these days, I'd probably say avoid the airport at all costs too.

Happy Holidays!