Christmas Shopping

So, we decided to make a quick trip to the local supermarket today.

Like anywhere, shopping in the lead up to Christmas is f-ing painful. The place is packed to the rafters with a pack of unwashed douchebags, all scurrying around trying to blow their cash (or, more accurately, their CREDIT CARD COMPANY'S cash) on whatever toy or gizmo they need to complete their meaningless lives.

Woah. Serious case of the Scroogies crept up on me there. I'm not REALLY that cynical about Christmas, I promise. Christmas shopping just gives me the shits, y'know?

But for f--ks sake- is it too much to ask for people to spray on a little deoderant before going to a packed shopping centre?

Anyway, knowing that we'd want to get in and out as rapidly as humanly possible, we made a list of everything we'd need for our Christmas festivities, and tried to get it all out of the way.

This year, we're putting a bit of a twist on the normal Christmas meal. I really can't be f-ed spending a few hours in a hot kitchen on Christmas day, so instead of doing the usual roast turkey and ham and whatnot, I'm going to be making a turkey and ham pie.

That way, I can make the filling a day in advance, and then just roll out the pastry and bung it in the oven. Good deal.

Last year was the first time that we celebrated Christmas by ourselves, and we decided that whilst the main course is my domain, the wife is in charge of dessert. Neither of us particularly cares for Christmas pudding, so she's having a crack at making a Christmas Bombe, replacing the cherries and mixed fruit with white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts.

For the weight conscious reveller, of course...

Anyway, after sorting out our shopping list, the wife went out to put the baby seat back into the car. She needed a hand to tighten up the straps, so I left the kid inside in her bouncer and went out. After getting the seat adjusted, I threw Mary the house keys, so she could go inside and get the baby, while I collapsed the stroller and loaded it into the boot.

I heard the keys jingle, and Mary strode back toward the car.

"OK. Ready to go," she assured me.

I looked at her, realising that she had forgotten something.

Something rather IMPORTANT.

"Umm, aren't you forgetting someone?", I asked. She looked at me puzzled for a few seconds, before a horrified look spread across her face.

While I hooted with laughter, she hurriedly barrelled inside and re-emerged with our baby daughter.

Still laughing, I aimed a few playful jokes in her direction.

"It's not THAT bad," she maintained. "When I went to get the stroller out of the car [when we got out of the car at the shopping centre], I would have noticed that she wasn't there."

You can't argue with that logic.