Rudolph the red-nosed bookworm

I hate Christmas shopping, so I try to put it off as much as possible. But yesterday was the 24th, and I knew that, with less than 12 hours to go before Christmas day, I had no choice but to get moving.

So I dragged my lazy ass out of the door and headed to the mall. The traffic was surprisingly light. Maybe everyone got their shopping done early this year. Hmm.

On my way to the mall, I passed by a bookstore. A brilliant idea flashed through my mind. Why don't I give everyone books this year? Yes, that's right! What a great idea!

So I went into the bookstore, and was pleased to see that there were surprisingly few customers. Score! This is going to be the quickest Christmas shopping trip ever!

Well, almost an hour later, I still haven't picked out the right book for anyone on my list. I didn't imagine that it would be this hard. Hmm, maybe that's because the people in my family don't really like to read. Give them books! Great idea indeed.

I did get three books for myself though. I have this weird mental disorder: I like to buy books, but I don't like to read them. Hmm, my mom probably won't like this book... but I like it. I think I should get it. It would look good collecting dust on my bookshelf.

After a few more minutes of aimless wandering around the store, I finally stopped trying to find the right book for each person on my list. I just grabbed a book for each one and ran out of the bookstore as fast as I could.

It was the longest Christmas shopping trip ever. Next year, I'm getting everyone chocolates.