Cyber shopping

So, my friend MT says she is trying to channel some Ho!Ho!Ho! into her day. I think the only way to get some Christmas cheer is with egg nog, but that's just me and my love of combining high calorie dairy foods and alcohol. So, maybe she can muster some sugarplums just by wearing her holiday theme clothing. Good for her.
About holiday shopping. Today, I did my first shopping at an actual store. I am an Internet addict and have been for years, in fact. When M and I were living in Toronto, I was constantly frustrated by the lack of products I had become fans of. Like, at the time, I was using Origins cosmetics. None for sale. I also liked clothes from Banana Republic and Ann Taylor (I used to work, and, you know, wear clothes that weren't jeans) I had to endure crazy delivery times, pay insane duties on everything and, pay a miserable exchange rate. But, to have my trieds and trues, I was happy. So, that was ten years ago. Now, EVERYTHING is available on the Internet. In fact, I was just shopping for some authentic German food shipped from Germany (as opposed to....where?)for my dad. I was hoping to find these cookies that my grandmother used to make. I found something very close, but it had raisins in it, and my dad would not consider anything with raisins to be a gift.
This year, I have a very short list of 10 people. Always at Christmas, I am most thankful for my small family. I had things monogrammed, personalized, and shipped to my mom's house so that I don't have to schlep everything across the country. Now that American Airlines charges fees on overweight and checked bags, schlepping represents significant expense. When is Southwest going to fly from my doorstep to my parents' doorstep? So, where was I? Right, shopping. Today, I went to my first actual store for a gift. I needed to gauge size because it was for some one to whom I am not related and returns become complicated. Ack. I hated it. I hated being in the store, waiting in the line, rummaging through racks. Although, on the upside, I did see the BEST CHRISTMAS GIFT EVER. Something I would not have seen just idly surfing my usual gift sites...crushed velvet Santa G-String for men. With jingle bells. That's a must have for all you wives out there who think your husband is too sexy, and needs to be taken down a notch. On-line, I can shop at night, without my kids, I can shop in my jammies, with hot cocoa. I can find unique and funky things that don't even exist in stores anymore.
Stores are all clones of one another now. Same products, pennies difference in price. What's the point of going to a mall? It's all inane crap for teenagers who all want to look the same. (And perhaps all a little whore-ish?) Some one told me the other day that she loves to scour the mall to find just the perfect gifts for everyone on her list. Which leaves me with questions: 1. Why? 2. Who on her list is craving a cardigan from Pennys? 3. Who wants to actually scour a mall?
So, for those of you who are up for it, enjoy your aching feet, screaming kids, long lines, and generic stores. For the rest of you, welcome to the 21st century. Shop on.