happy holidays

whoever came up with the term "happy holidays" has not been shopping after Thanksgiving.
being the avid procrastinator that i am, i didn't start my shopping until this past weekend. i have now found that living in a small-ish town where the number of stores is limited magnifies the rage that somehow lives within way too many last-minute shoppers. from the nascar cart scene at a jam-packed super walmart (i know, i know, i had sworn off the monolith as evil and trying to take over the world, but no one else in town had what i needed! argh!!!!) to the woman who didn't even notice that she came within inches of running me down as i crossed the street.... i kept on humming christmas music in an effort to drown out the masses of hysteria swarming around me and somehow emerged without a scratch. whew. i could say that next year i'll start my shopping earlier, but honestly, it probably won't happen.