Christmas Shopping

Went Christmas shopping in Dublin with Michele (my partner in crime) today. I was very disappointed there were so few Christmas decorations in the shops and no Christmas music whatsoever. I know it is still early, but come on! Christmas is less than six weeks away! There were carol singers for a short while in Arnotts. They could really sing - very operatic voices - and it was truly beautiful. There were a couple of blokes outside Arnotts dressed in santa's elves costumes making balloon shapes (couldn't even call them animals) - it was a bit pathetic really. In the Jervis centre they had a life size Santa robot climbing up and down a rope. At first I thought it was real, but as it slowly started to descend, I realized it was one of those cheesy toys - except on a larger scale. It didn't look Christmassy though, it looked more like Santa was robbing the shops and running off with the loot, MI style, rather than anything else. Part from that, there was nothing much. Arnotts window was really disappointing.

Shopping wise, things went well. Had a few set backs to begin with (it is not a good book shop week for me) but then we got into our stride. Had lunch in Barmitzva in the Powerscourt centre - love that place. They had exotic fish watching us as we ate, we watched them right back. It was nice. Then we wondered around Powerscourt and saw lots of little interesting shops that reminded me why I go to Dublin for Christmas shopping in the first place. Then we headed north side and got the majority of our stuff. It would be nice to get everything finished and wrapped by December 1st. I think it is possible after today's results.

Shop Assistant wise, I would give all the shops a big A+. Every shop we went into, an assistant came over and asked us politely if we needed help (maybe we looked a little lost?) and when we did buy, they were very friendly and helpful.

Went into one shop that seriously spooked me. It had full face baliclavas, lighters shaped like grenades and lots of hand gun equipment. Maybe it was just for hunters, but it felt like an terrorist shop. I couldn't get out fast enough.

Met a shop assistant in Hodges and Figus who was like a woman from another era. She was very nice, wore a red fuzzy tank top and had her glasses on a chain. She spoke in a soft voice, ending her sentences with an upward inflection, and she leaned closer to you when she spoke. I told her I had been sent up to her from downstairs to look for a book, and she said 'That was very naught of them.' She was like a slightly nutty librarian from a movie. She was nice.

Another shop assistant who stood out was an old man at the watch counter in Arnotts. He was really friendly - a real old gent - and did such a good job at describing a watch we were enquiring about that we almost bought it - despite it being WAY above our budget.

No writing done today (obviously) but I'll be back refreshed tomorrow.