shopping — 2013 — The 21st Century Matriarch

What is your usual activity for the day after Christmas? I am realizing that I do have a few traditions for this day.

I write thank you notes. This year they are all e-mails rather than cards send through snail mail.

I shop after Christmas sales. This year I am steering clear of wrapping paper and Christmas cards - but will pick up dark chocolate and nuts if the clearance price is good. If the holiday patterned ziplocks are priced less than the regular ones, I’ll do that too. I’m looking for sheets too - sometimes those sales are so good that there are none left by the time I get to store. I’m not an early bird shopper after Christmas.

I begin eating the leftovers. It happens every year: more food is prepared than can actually be eaten on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

I pick up around the house. This mostly consists of packing away gift bags and recycling wrapping paper. In past years I’ve packed up tissue paper along with the gift bags but this year it too is going into the recycling bin. Sometimes there are still presents unwrapped the previous day that need to be stowed….increasing the ‘stuff’ we’ve accumulated.

By the end of the day after Christmas the house still looks festive and the lights still glow on the tree - and we are enjoying the lull between Christmas and New Year’s Eve.

Recently - I’ve noticed how much I enjoy the weekly grocery shopping. It’s not that I ever hated grocery shopping but there has definitely been a change over the past few years. Now I actually look forward to the shopping as a kind of outing. What has changed?

I am no longer restricted to shopping during non-work hours - so I shop at 7:30 AM on Thursdays. The store is never crowded and is well stocked.

The store is very clean, always well stocked and the employees are knowledgeable and pleasant. The aisles have not been turned into obstacle courses by food displays.

I use my own bags. They harken back to old-fashioned market day rather than slick commercial modern stores (even though I shop at a very large store). It appeals to be on a historical level and is also good for the environment. It is wonderful to not have plastic bags building up in my house.

The store has a model train that winds above the yogurt and cheese section. It’s a pleasant display with correlations to childhood and holiday celebrations. I notice it every week.

Sometimes the seasonal products are just too tempting. I bought a glass-bowl bird bath last spring and a sunflower last summer. Serendipity purchases are not frequent - but I always remember that they came from the grocery store.

I don’t linger frequently and when I do - it is to buy something I don’t know very much about but want to try. Recently the question was - what are the options for lower-fat pre-cooked sausage? I discovered a turkey sausage with half the fat content of regular sausage!

The produce section is large and colorful - and I like so many of the foods there. This is the place in the store where I spend the most time and buy the most. It is also the area most like old-fashioned markets. The store highlights the local produce.

And finally - I savor the realization that enjoying grocery shopping is a trait I share with my mother.