About Us	Search	Advertising

	Brought to you by:

IT'S about that time of year when the whole world goes a bit wonky. The silly season hits and it seems as if everything, including food and petrol prices, go off the rails and throw most of us for a loop. Needless to say we'll soon be unwilling students of this very lesson, thanks to Tito.

The tail end of the year marks a time when most of us (at least those of us who don't have to work through it all) are looking forward to having a great holiday.

But it really is in the preliminary process of getting your holiday to be the ultimate one that you?d probably experience the most woes.

Shopping around this time tends to get me the most worked up, and I don't mean that in a good way. In my view Woodstock, and even more so the city, would probably resemble battle scene straight out of Braveheart.

Without a doubt that's probably exactly why most sane people are likely to avoid any place of business like the plague, and opt to do the shopping way before the mad rush sets in.

Those of us wise enough would know that in no uncertain terms, the unspoken rule adhered to in malls during this time remains "every man (woman and child) for themselves". Moms and dads are on a mission to get their kid exactly what was asked for in the letter to Santa.

I mean, who has ever seen a parent on a shopping hunt for the best gift at the best price?

I dare say that the words "ruthless killers" does spring to mind.

Then there's the supposed jolly holiday-makers, stop-starting from isle to isle, green folding camper recliner, Weber braai, plastic knife and fork sets braced firmly under the arm.

They're also usually the ones who show the least mercy in their desperation to get the supplies they need for their trip.

This immediately elevates them to a level where they become the most annoying shopper, characteristically known to deplete food stocks because they're the ones buying in bulk. Of course, Cape Town's sweltering summers don't make the whole process much easier either. Extreme perspiration is the order of the day, which automatically results in very short temper fuses.

Of course, when you eventually get to the till, you're even more ticked off, because the total balance due is never quite what you hoped it would be.

Already your mind fast-tracks straight to the new year, pondering exactly how much of a jam you'll be in come January, right?

Even the trolley guards become edgy and aggro. You've expected them to lug parcel after parcel to the car and you still have the cheek to think that all their hard labour is worth a measly R2? You must be joking! I imagine you can be almost certain you'll receive a keepsake in the form of a rude parting gesture as you check your rear view mirror and your car struggles to cope with the heavy load in the boot.

What's worse is that after all of that hassle, the holidays pass by so quickly. Does all the effort you've put in amount to what you get out?

On the bright side, though, while everyone goes crazy in the malls, tempers flare and car guards snap, I suppose it's important to remember the real reason we're standing in those long queues.

We tolerate the madness for those priceless moments we spend with loved ones.

It's when it all magically comes  together that inspires us to endure it all again next year.

	Back to top
©