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A Tradition Unbroken

Article Summary: Remembering a special Christmas tradition shared with a cherished friend.

A Tradition Unbroken

A lot of people avoid the last shopping day before Christmas in the same way that they avoid catching a cold. Me, I wake up bright and early on Christmas eve in high anticipation of my favorite shopping day of the year. And it is my best friend Will’s favorite shopping day of the year, too. That’s why every year, even now, despite the fact that I live in another province, we partake in a very special tradition that is very dear to my heart, and I would like to share it with you.

First I will tell you how it came to be that we are best friends. We met in high school. I was the new girl. He was in a couple of my classes. We got to talking one day, and immediately clicked. Through beak-ups and make-ups, the ups and downs, the trials and errors, and the thick and the thin, we have stuck together through it all. Six hundred miles of ocean now separates us most of the year, but we are still thick as thieves

I’m not sure why we selected Christmas Eve to start our own special tradition. We both finish our Christmas shopping long before the deadline and we hardly ever buy anything when we go. It’s just something we started doing. And something we never stopped doing year after year. I guess a lot of has to do with the company. It never matters what the two of us are doing. We always have fun We are not very keen on the blood pressure raising experience of tackling the malls on the busiest shopping day of the year. I certainly don’t enjoy looking for a parking spot in the overcrowded lot, the long line-ups are quite a drag and I certainly don’t like being bumped into and nearly trampled on by stressed last minute shoppers. But, bad things aside, this outing is one of the most important ones of the year for me and Will.

Christmas Eve starts about the same as any other. I wake up early, have breakfast and get ready for the day. The difference between this day and most others is I don’t just go into my closet and pick out any old pair of jeans and T-shirt. I choose my outfit very carefully. I dress in my best. Then, I hop in the car, turn on some festive music to get in the spirit of the season and swing by Will’s house. We continue on to our favorite coffee shop to get a little pre-mall caffeine buzz. This part of the day takes some time, because, of course, there is no better way to enjoy a coffee break with a treasured friend than to sit and sip for hours and catch up on gossip. And since coffee is one our favorite weekly traditions, we know it can’t be savored properly on-the-go. To be drunk properly, a relaxing coffee-house atmosphere is a must and it has to take at least an hour to get to the bottom of the cup

Then, with our caffeine induced first wind of the day, we dive into the madness that is Christmas eve traffic and head to the mall. Upon entering the parking lot, we make one sweep of it, only to discover what we already knew. No parking spots. I turn toward the back of the mall to the parking lot no one ever thinks to check. Probably because it’s dark and riddled with huge pot holes But, we are always able to get a spot three feet away from the back entrance and avoid walking a long distance in the late December chill. Once inside the warmth of the mall, we are engulfed with the sights and sounds that are unique to this special time of year. Santa Clause beckoning for children to have there picture taken with him. Hurried shoppers, usually men this late in the shopping season, frantically looking for perfect last minute gifts. Children laughing and trying to be extra well-behaved in anticipation for surprises under their trees. Deck the Halls and other favorite holiday numbers sounding through the PA system. Colorful decorations of all sorts adorning the hallways and ceilings. Cash registers ringing. And of course the laughter and all around holiday cheer

The first thing we do is our ritual “walk-around” to see if we know any of the last minute shoppers. There are usually a few around. We say our hellos, Happy Holidays and Happy New Years, then head to our favorite shop, the music store This is one of the best parts of the day. We don’t even bother to look at the new releases or popular buys. Instead we rummage through the bargain bin for blasts from the past, rare finds and stuff we just never heard of We try to pick out cheesiest most outlandish stuff we can find so we get a good laugh and are able keep high spirits on the hectic drive home in Christmas eve rush hour Whenever I hear any of those songs, I am reminded of the more care-free days of my youth and the fun we had doing things we took for granted because we thought they were unimportant. I didn’t realize it than, but those carefree times have left a profound impact on my life.

After we finish raiding the “cheap tape bin” as we call it, we head for the food court, grab some fries and a couple of cappuccinos, find a bench somewhere in the middle of all the chaos and “people watch”. Throughout the year, people watching is one of our favorite things to do. Observing. Watching. One can do a lot of people watching in a crowded mall on Christmas Eve Last minute shoppers rummaging through the few items left. Men scurrying to find that perfect gift for the lady in his life. This may sound boring to you, but one sees some very humorous things in the mall. People dropping things, and bumping into one another in their rush to find bargains. Men rummaging at break neck speeds frantically trying to find that perfect last minute gift. Children tugging at coat tails and wailing that they want to go home and eat turkey dinner and prepare for Santa. I believe we may have even cracked the mystery behind why so many women receive oven mitts for Christmas. That’s all that’s left on the shelves by December 24th

Our sitting and watching comes to an end when we hear the sound that tells us our day at the mall is coming to an end. “Attention shoppers. The mall will be closing in ten minutes. Please proceed to the nearest customer service desk”. But our cue to leave is when the last handful of shoppers go out the door. It was always a tradition that we be the last to leave, mainly so we don’t get caught in the inevitable parking lot gridlock . The sliding doors to the various shops start to close as we slowly make our way to the exit. The quietness and desolation of the mall at this time is eerie compared to earlier in the day.

There was one year that I almost missed this special outing. I was in the midst of discovering that the experience of being in the mall on Christmas is much different when one is working. I was devastated that I had to work that day, but Will was understanding. I thought I would pull my hair out from the stress of waiting on frazzled holiday shoppers, when in walked Will just in time for my lunch break.. We fit in a little tradition in that half hour time slot by grabbing some fries and a couple of cappuccinos and we found a bench in the middle of the chaos and people watched

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About the Author:
Andrea G.