Christmas is so not in the air

I was working on the whole having Christmas spirit thing this year. I'm hoping it's not completely gone, but seriously, a job in retail this time of year kind of zaps one of all Christmas spirit.

I think the real spirit-killer is the parking lots. Why is it that, with a tad of snow and obscure parking stall markings, the general population feels it is acceptable to park willy-nilly, without any sense of maintaining straight lines or proper spacing between vehicles? Also, why do people suddenly feel is it alright to walk down the middle of the lane with their tiny, rambunctious children, ignoring the fact that a car's stopping time is greatly reduced on the slick surface of the snow?

Retail this time of year is not for the faint-hearted. The days are long, the customers stressed, and the sales plans ambitious and difficult to attain. Make sure you are nice to those serving you as you are buying your Christmas presents this year.

I'm learning many lessons about values and treatment of others through this job. I feel sorry for those customers who are harried and ragged and seemingly only at the mall and in our store because of some undesired obligation. I love working with those customers who are relaxed and happy and truly giving. Money can be spent and items can be bought and given, but all that really matters is the spirit in which all of this happens. So endeth the lesson of my retail job.

In other news, my car has a name. The name just came to me one day when I was coaxing my car to find some traction and start moving on the slick slush that followed the blizzard, and since then I have been referring to my car by the same name without thought. I figure the right name came to me at the right time and that I shouldn't argue or question. Henceforth, my forest green 1999 Chrysler LHS shall be known as Roxy.

Roxy's got a lot of weight to her but it doesn't hold her back. She's got amazing get-up-and-go and once she settles in and starts cruising she doesn't want to stop. She's got some attitude to her and will let you know if she's unhappy with something, but if you treat her right she'll do all that you ask of her. She's long and wide and stable and comfortable. She's definitely a Roxy.

I have a few cards left to send and a few small things to pick up sometime in the next week, but the majority of the cards and letters have been sent and two packages mailed off to opposite sides of the country. I am scheduled to close the store on Christmas Eve and open it the day after Christmas, but I get New Years Eve off, as well as a full weekend the first weekend of January. I'm looking forward to a few days off in a row.

I have yet to do the level of research that I typically do when it comes to a large purchase like a camera or a car or, in the case currently pending with me, a new laptop. I was very happy with my Toshiba until it unexpectedly died, but part of me wonders if a Mac might be a smart investment given I primarily use my computer for media. I have never been a fan of the Mac interface, but now that Windows and the Microsoft suite is compatible with Mac I think I need to do a lot more research. I have actually come to somewhat enjoy my lack of a computer, but I know in this day and age, and especially given my ongoing hunt for full-time employment, a computer is less of a luxury and more of a necessity.

I still have some work to do on this blog, which really means I have to get Justin to sit down and take another look at the HTML coding, but the small tweaks and personalizations are coming along.

This post has officially reached the point of rambling, so I think it may be time to wrap it up and say:

Love!

~g