Before you call me an idiot, let it be known that for as long as I can remember, I have always worked the day after Christmas.  That being said, and my ignorance now exposed, you will understand why I would willingly go with my wife to the mall on December 26th.  What an idiot!

     Somehow in the midst of all of the parking lot chaos, I was able to score a spot right up front which gave us an overwhelming feeling of optimism.  Maybe this isn't going to be so bad, I said as we slapped each other a victorious high five.

    The game plan was simple, we were to go get a couple of links taken out of  my new watch, grab a quick bite to eat and then over to get an iced coffee.  The problem with this simple plan was that everybody in the free world had the same simple plan.  Well fed,, well caffeinated and well entrenched in this endless sea of shoppers clinging to what was left of the holiday atmosphere and racing to find the perfect sale item to spend their gift cards and Christmas loot on.

     In the middle of all of this pandemonium, I just had to pause a moment to observe the different types of people around me.  I do this every time I am at the mall, which isn't very often I must tell you, but it always gives me a bit of a chuckle.

     You will always run into the group of 5 to 8 teenage boys who haven't quite grown into their ears yet but they think they are the coolest with their hats turned sideways and pants much too large.  The heartbeat of  mall life clumps to the rhythm of high heels on the tile floors as the over dressed runway types sache much too seriously and full of themselves from one high end shop to the next. And then there is us, we are the stroller pushing, people watching, overbearing kiosk salesman avoiding people who never want to be there as much as we thought we did before we actually got there. 

     What I have taken from this experience is that next year, we will wait a few days before venturing out into the retail world.  I must admit, much to my friends' dismay I'm sure, it really wasn't all that bad.