Spill the last minute Christmas horror stories.

-- Anonymous, December 23, 1999

Answers

Running to Bloomingdale's at 9:00 this morning, on the crowded subway, before work. The cologne I'd bought Michael for Christmas HAD BEEN OPENED, and I didn't realize it until I was about to wrap it! >:<

It's the Armani "Lui" cologne -- it comes in that nifty little Mylar bag. It had been at the bottom of a bag of presents, and I simply didn't *look* at it until last night. Not only was the mylar bag opened, but the box had been opened -- and *torn* -- as well!

Thank heavens I had my receipt...

-- Anonymous, December 23, 1999

It is now, 1:24 p.m. on the 23rd of December and I have not even begun thinking about what to get anyone for Christmas let alone buy anything. I was told that I was going to engrave my girlfriend's knives for her for Christmas (She's a chef) but she is working through Christmas and I don't know how or when I am going to do it. I would like to add in my defense that she only told me this last night. I don't have to see my family so I don't have to worry about them but everyone else will have to be done tomorrow. I always wait for until the last minute but I have never been this bad.

-- Anonymous, December 23, 1999

I just finished my shopping on my lunch break today. Wasn't too bad, actually -- I haven't had any horror stories yet.

Oh, and Pamie -- my cat farts all the time. It startles her too -- she farts, then whirls around and looks behind her, then stalks off in a huff.

-- Anonymous, December 23, 1999

Brian, even as I type this,is sprinting down Michigan Avenue to pick up the last of our preXmas shopping.

Last minute horror story? I am making loads of cookies today to pack up for friends, and relatives...choc. chip(how...festive!), gingerbread, and buckeyes. Well, I got out the bowl, left it on the counter, got sidetracked, and came back an hour or so later to actually make the cookie dough. dumped all the stuff in, dug the big spoon in to mix, and from the bottom of the bowl came a big clump of cat fur in the dough. After I left the bowl on the counter, looks like the cat crawled in for a nap.

Those cookies are going to my inlaws, I think.

euw. that was a joke. really. I threw the dough out. Right out in the dumpster, got a new bowl, and started over. really.

I swear!

-- Anonymous, December 23, 1999

Yep. Finished weeks ago. Although now I'm getting all insecure and thinking I should have bought more for everyone, especially Jeremy.

But I'm out of money, so it's out of my hands.

-- Anonymous, December 23, 1999

I'm giving out rainchecks to my boyfriend's nephews because A.) shipping for online stuff is gonna kill me, $18 to ship 3 books? I think not. B.) I hate crowds, I heard Barton Creek's parking lot was closed yesterday. C.) I really really have no idea what to get them and it buys me time.

I feel really bad but I got really great gifts for all the people that are high on my priority list; I don't really know his nephews. I've met the oldest one twice and the other two about two or three times. I don't even really know how old they are. Just "teenage".

I've got two packages that are headed out of state and I know they're not going to get there by Christmas. I am a bad gift giver. This is what happens to procrastinators at Christmas.

-- Anonymous, December 23, 1999

Not too many horror stories, except I felt like I was in a video game at one point. It took me four hours to find 7 presents. I did well however, when I decided that I would get these people what I thought they should like, instead of what they would like. That explains why this guy I barely know ended up with a toy UFO from Restoration Hardware:)

-- Anonymous, December 23, 1999

How was I supposed to know that getting all of my shopping done a week before christmas would suck the fun right out of the whole present ritual? I'm never going to be this organized again. I've been on break from school since before thanksgiving, and I managed to be productive in all the wrong ways. I got everything bought in chicago, before coming to omaha, and tonight when I wrapped my presents, I realized I didn't really care about them anymore. I'm used to them. I've talked about them to everyone already.

-- Anonymous, December 24, 1999

My family is going to have to wait- I just couldn't get everything in time. I am proud of the present for my brother's wife, though- a Target gift certificate. As for my girlfriend, one present was kind of big and I didn't know exactly which one she wanted, so I'm giving her the money and letting her pick it out.

She also wanted one of those Turn and Pull Timex watches. Well I searched and searched. We've all seen the media blitz, right? You think they'd be easy to find, right? Finally, after talking to dozens of glassy-eyed sales assistants who seemed to be breathing the words "just kill me now" between each "I don't know" or "You might want to try...", I was able to find some- in a men's style. They said they didn't have any in the women's size. Now, my girlfriend is pretty kick ass, but she'd still look kind of silly with one of these suckers on her gorgeous little wrist. I bought it anyway. By god, she's going to have something to open besides a card. This way she can even pick out which watch she wants, as the saleslady was "pretty sure" they'd be getting women's in soon as they had had multiple requests.

By the way, I think we should have a whole separate topic on farting. My theory about Cal is that the cat's tail acts as a sort of muffler, or possibly an air foil. Without it, Cal's farts sound like a trumpeter in boot camp. I'm starting to really like that cat.

-- Anonymous, December 24, 1999

I find it kind of frightening that andy has formulated a theory on cat farts.

Piper

-- Anonymous, December 26, 1999