I hate shopping. I am not the girl who finds boutiques, tries on clothes, and I order everything I can online. However, I love buying for people I care about, but the traffic, crowds, and general population are enough to keep me at home.

A few years ago, I had to go Christmas shopping, so my amazing friend and RevPub partner offered to keep me company. And so our shopping day tradition began.

We don’t shop on a weekend because that’s even more insane, so every year in December we take a Friday off and finish our Christmas shopping. We visit open-air malls and McKay’s, and keep the same schedule as if we were at work with a lunch break around noon. On these days, we have a great time and laugh until our sides hurt. So, for story of the month I bring you two little shorts from our shopping experiences.

Look at Me…

After several hours shopping, James and I were in the car on our way to another store. I had his phone and was playing with his camera. I wanted to take his picture, but of course, he would not smile on command. In a moment of silliness I said, “Looook at meeeee…” and he erupted into laughter. Some of my favorite pics are ones with someone laughing, and this one is definitely a peach:

Bullet Proof

A few years ago we were leaving a store, and James saw one of these:

He turned and asked me if it was a bullet-proof vest. I replied that is was something people use to carry their babies. James, being his lovable self, said, “I got news for her. That baby’s not going to stop any bullets.”

We both almost went into the floor from laughing, and what made this moment even better was the new mother overheard him. She turned and gave him a dirty look, but only I saw her and I laughed even more. We continued our day and caused a little trouble, which made it even better.

These stories remind me to have fun. No matter how much you hate something, you can make the best of it and build lifelong memories. I will always remember the laughs, the stories, and the weird looks we get from people when we are just being ourselves. Sometimes being weird is necessary.

Happy Holidays and share your fun shopping stories below!