Santa's Socks
/I was about eight years old when I found out that Santa doesn't exist. My dad has decided as every year to be Santa. He handled the miracle in the role of Santa - he brought me what I asked for and what I wanted for some time - a radio with CD player. After the performance, my dad changed and returned for Christmas dinner. At that time, in Romania, it was common for everyone to take off the shoes, and my dad did the same, also from the position of Santa, and from the guest for dinner. Which made me notice that the blue of his stockings was identical to that of Santa's stockings. I rolled my eyes and said, "You were Santa! You have socks just like his! "All the guests were so surprised that they lost their spontaneity: no one was able to say something that convinced me that I was wrong. I could even see them smiling with laughter as they tried, without too much heartbreak, to bring me various arguments. Finally, they recognized: my dad should have changed his socks.
It just so happened that the Christmas breakdown did not disappoint me. On the contrary, as I read many police books back then, I was proud of what seemed to me to be my early detective skills.
Many, many years later, I am entirely using my detective skills to find the most appropriate gift for those close to me. Of course, there are expensive gifts, gifts with symbol value, gifts-declaration; It seems to me that it is crucial to get everyone who wants it - that radio-CD player, which made me as happy as possible. It's the best proof that you care and listen to the one next to you.
For many of us, Christmas presents are a source of stress. There are usually two reasons: the crowded stores around the holidays and the fact that we don't know what to buy. In principle, both issues can be solved if we listen, if we pay attention to what people want. But this obedience should be permanent; it cannot begin around holidays or anniversaries. Listening to clues, Sherlock Holmes would say. The regular Sunday conversation with mother can be a source of evidence, as well - the morning conversation with your grandma while checking up on her to see she is fine, and she took all her pills. Sure, you can't solve all the gifts like this, but if you get rid of it for 3-4 times, it's still something. 42% worldwide agree with me, says a survey on shopping habits I found online while researching for this blog post - that is, they prefer to take presents in the months leading up to Christmas and without considering a specific budget.
Listening to the clues, Sherlock Holmes would say.
The budget is another discussion: if you have not set aside money for Christmas in advance, the budget for gifts will be limited to the salary you receive in December, plus the eventual Christmas bonus. If these are the money that you have to spend the holidays and live up to the next leaf, it is possible that the pursuit of gifts can turn into a source of stress. Because you get that, in the busiest time of the year, you are looking for a significant and cheap gift; you would also like to have some thinking time and possibly be alone in the store. I am convinced that this is not a novelty, but the count at home rarely matches that of the fair, and because of this, 8% of us get to go shopping on Christmas Eve.
But I was talking about the budget: how much money do we spend on gifts? 37% plan to spend a maximum of 10% of their salary, 7% will pay up to 30% of their income, and 17% - around 3%. Where do we empty our wallets? The mall, of course. The mall is the place with the highest concentration and diversity of shops. If you're wondering why it's challenging to get there, to stay (ie, find a parking spot) and to leave the mall around the holidays, all researches illuminates us: 51% of us will go to the mall for Christmas presents.
I buy online, you will say. An idea as healthy as possible, with a few small amendments. First of all, a quarter of us prefer online shopping - it is the most comfortable, the prices are better, and the variety of offers is vast. But here the provision is the mother of success: you have to order ahead of time because the holidays mean the peak of activity for courier companies. And, as the number of online orders has increased from year to year, it is possible that an order placed at the beginning of December may not reach you until Christmas. In case you get out the back door from the comfortable category of 25%, and you get to step on your feet through malls with 8%.
First of all, a quarter of us prefer online shopping - it is the most comfortable, the prices are better, and the variety of offers is vast.
