Thursday, December 22, 2005

The joys of Christmas Shopping !




Ok I made some grandiose announcement about not being able to blog etc etc. But being away from the comp and the office is working wonders and this Christmas season I have so many tales to tell!!!

Christmas is here and as usual I get the noble task of buying the gifts that the family wants to give each other. A typical day before Christmas shopping goes like this.

Dad: Ok, so what do you think I should give your mother?
Me: How about you both taking off to Lourdes as you promised her 7 years back?
Dad: Sure, You will get leave right? You and mom can have a nice pilgrimage.
Me: But Dad she wants to go with you!!!! She has been looking forward to this for so many years. ( I use a very senti speech here)
Dad: I know, I know, but the guys were just telling me that we haven’t had a party like the one you organized on Father's Day! So you go with Amma and don’t hurry back. And if you go with Amma then as additional bonus you get that zoom lens for your camera!


Eldest Brother G: Now tell me what you want and what I should get for all of you.
Me: Ok, I want perfume, I think you should give mom a saree and Dad needs new shoes for his walks and M ..hmmm I think you give him what we all have been giving him for the past umpteen years, a nice tube of hair gel !!!
G: Ok, and get a nice handbag for your to-be-sis-in-law.
Me: She will think you are a miser. Give her something expensive!
G: Ok, how about a purse?
Me: She may call off the wedding.
G: You women are so hard to please!!!
Me: You are learning fast!
G: Oh my God, now I will have to think of gifts for her birthdays too????
Me: Yes! But it’s too late to cancel your wedding so I will get her something and you can tell her that you looked high and low for this perfect gift for her. She will be very pleased.
G: Fine and don’t forget to wrap it and put a nice message too. But don’t let your creativity get the better of you. I don’t want her thinking she is marrying a lech !


Second Brother M: Ok what do you want this Christmas that won’t be thrown on my head or will not be given to the gardener.
Me: What else do you expect when you present me with a monkey cap?
M: That was a Monte Carlo monkey cap!!!!
Me: yeah, the gardener looks very spiffy in that.
M: Ok then your highness what can I get for thee this year? Ok wait....I know what I will buy for you? ( with a gleam in his eyes), I get that awful sinking feeling when M goes shopping. He walks away whistling. I KNOW I will get a Hot Water Kettle! (of course it will be a different brand and color from the one I got the year before last and the year before the year before last)



Mom: I know what I will buy for everybody!!! (with triumphant smile.)
Me: er...what will be that Amma?
Mom: You will look really nice in a Salwar!
Me: But amma I have so many that I don’t wear!
Mom: Don’t argue with me. And for M, I will get a nice shirt. He looks like a beggar at weddings.
Me: Amma he rather look like a beggar than a pansy in that lacy shirt you bought for him last time.
Mom: Don’t argue with me. And for Dad also a nice shirt...
Me: But ma he hates shirts, he always wear Tees.
Mom: Don’t argue with me! And for your Chetan a nice wallet.
Me: But ma, he already has 25 wallets!
Mom: Don’t argue with me. Now come with me and show me where I can get these things in those new malls. And don’t forget to carry a big bag so that the guys don’t see what we have bought for them.

(Like they don’t know already)

41 comments:

Thanu said...

Hilarious. Scene at my home is similar, but we all by individual gifts, I'm the one who is incharge of wrapping all though.

Merry C'mas again

Leon said...

This is too much.. hehe..

LOL at everything.. pretty similar situation here..

PS: The day I put up 3 posts in 2 days the world will collapse and shrink into a black hole. :D

N David said...

lol.. Have a good holiday.

Sujit said...

ah.. nice time with all the family members.... have a great time

Anonymous said...

This reminds me of Sachin Tendulkar going for big hits after reaching his fifty runs (or are you completing the quota for next one month). Also I see lot of changes - an extra "Search" box, some more buttons. Kewl.

MM

P.S.: The post was really good. :)

sinusoidally said...

Well at least you excahnge gifts for christmas! Sounds exciting.

kickassso said...

LOL! ur ma seems just like mine, in fact, the only time my sis and me stop fighting is to join forces to fight ma, who is intent on forcing her dress sense onto us!

Hyde said...

Early morning laughs for me. Thank you.

Have a merry Xmas.

silverine said...

@Thanu: In my house it is me who buys 'individual' gifts for everyone to gift to each other lol
@Leon:Rings a lot of bells here doesn't it? Thinking up of gifts can be such a pain!!! :))
@Nithin: Happy Holidays to you too. Hope you get to go home :)
@Sujith: Thank you :)
@MM:The runs will dry up the moment I get back into office lol and all accessories on my blog are courtesy my very own "resident system administrator" the one and only Leon!!!! Glad you liked the post, thank you!
@Sinusoidally: Yes, we do and then comes the tough task of thinking up b'day gifts. This has to be the most difficult thing to do for me!
@Kickasso: Another fellow sufferer!! Gone are the days she would shop for clothes for us. Now she gets that pleasure only for Xmas and b'days. Thank God!!! :))
@Hyde:Long time no see :) Thanks for dropping by. Happy Holidays to you too!!

-Poison- said...

=))
sounds like u gona have a predictable(?) phunky time for xmas! Lovely!

and i think that my interesting observation about blogger breaks has been vindicated here!!!! :)

Matter of Choice said...

:)

Hyde said...

I have commented before?

Ganja Turtle said...

well,well,well...looks like am not the only one who promised to stay away and hasnt...

U havent started off for the marriage yet? Not in GOC?

Loaded myself with Xmas cakes and kilos of chips from GOC...so that kinda takes care of the relatives parts...other than that,yeah - have to go and get something for aunt/grandma/mom and cousins...and while I can think of hajaar+1 things to get for da young wimmens of the world, what can you get for 50+ women? Na,dont have the money for gold stuff...The choices seems to range from pochampalli saris to benares saris to printed slik saris - how exciting can shopping get...will probably be doing it this evening..sigh ;-(

As for Mr.KS, a nice fat juicy bone and probably a reindeer cap which he will tear into pieces 5 mts after donning it...he will ofcourse be forgiven in the Xmas spirit...

"Fine .........is marrying a lech!"-does this mean that G might a faint inkling of the wicked cogs that mesh around in ur mind? ;-)

And hope M gives you a nice purplish green hot water kettle -y'know, something that can be oohed and aaahed as an opbject of affection when pals drop in...

Mamas being mamas - our house is also full of lovingly selected special shirts/trousers bought by Mom - which obviously me and bro right from 7th std and 4th std respectively have steadfastedly refused to don and finally with a dozen heartfelt sighs goes to the servants kids ;-)

Nyways...cheers - Merry Xmas! No homemade wines in the offing?

Gladtomeetin said...

Hey very well written...Good one
:-)) All moms are like that....

Merry Christmas !!!

silverine said...

@poison: Your observation is bang on! Expect more such declarations in the future:))
@MoC: STO
@hyde: Yes you have :)
@ganjaturtle:Being away from the office has been therapeutic. Plus so many events unfolding around me to write about :))My dog Brandy also has her very own Santa hat which she is barely tolerating :)) And shopping for 50+ or 5+ is a pain! I am dangerously low in gifting idea resources :( Regarding wicked cogs in my mind, all I did was write a romantic paragraph for the card he was to send on her B'day *sigh* No one appreciates my efforts! ;) And M will def get the ugliest kettle in the market :( We too have some very "expensive" and "exclusive" clothes that we give off to the maid after Mom has forgotten about them :)) and I have made a barrel of wine cos of the wedding!!! Merry Christmas to you too!
@gladtomeetin: Yeah, Moms knows best!( me rolling eyes here) Thank you! :)

Sujith said...

gifts on christmas are a nice concept. why is it not practiced thru out india :-( had it been, i wud've got at least one. :-((

Safari Al said...

ROTFL.

Merry christmas and a zappy new year!

June-An said...

muhahahaha!!! I WANT A N70!!! I WANT I WANT I WANT!!!

Aashi said...

nice loving conversation!!....now i miss my mom!

hope and love said...

czmclol..!!happy christmas..!!

Jiby said...

my..u got 3 posts in 2 days...this one wuz really nice...enjoy ur holidays...merry christmas and happy new year!

Dr. Pissed said...

Since u didnt give me budday gift also, i want 2 scale model aeroplanes from Landmark. I already bought the auto, so only the 2 model airplanes will do..
Thanks

And Merry Christmas :)

Where going for mass i say?

Biju said...

Really funny. Keep going Silverine!.

kickassso said...

Mmmmmmm! Wine....

were not making wine this year... have the aged stuff from last year:>

Jagan said...

ha ha ..
so wht did u plan for gifts ? u are on the recieving side only ah ? dont plan to gift something ?

actually i was surprised to see 2 posts after that " i wont blog for sometime" post :) .

esvee said...

hilarious as usual..!

Merry Christmas!

silverine said...

@Jithu: *hugs*
@safrai al, juneann,AF and HnL: Thank you :)
@Jiby:Thank you and Merry Xmas to you too!
@Dr Pissed:Yeah, I need a Lear jet too :)) Me going to Holy Ghost Church
@Biju: Thanks
@Kickasso:The more aged the better
@Jagan: Even I have to give. And being on leave I have time to blog now, besides so many things happening around me :)
@esvee and Densu: Thank you :)

Arti Honrao said...

We don't celebrate xmas ... but it gives me an unknown pleasure to see ppl celebrate it. family comin together, surprises waiting to be unwrapped [are they surprises neways?]

here is a quote from thinkexist :
"The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree is the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other"


Njoy
Merry Christmas n a happy new yr too

Safari Al said...

You folks getr drunk on new years and all?

Activity said...

hehehe... may i suggest mixing up the name tags on the presents! Put a bit of spice into xmas this time...

Wit seems to run thru the family...! Does the rest of the silverine family have blogs detailing other sides of the same wack episodes ??

neway.. merry xmas, n happy hannukah!
~tta

Anonymous said...

:)

So what did Santa Get you?....take a look at this....http://www.illwillpress.com/xmas.html
Dont get offended though.I thought it was Hilarious.Merry Christmas Funny One!! :)

Sujay said...

hilarious !!

Suhas Anand said...

Welcome back....was nice reading thru a lot og ur blogs....xmas and new yr greetings frm me too :)


Suhas

Lost in trance... said...

Merry Xmas n hapy gifting!

Anonymous said...

That was a good post. It's the same situation in my house - I buy the gifts for everybody. The only exception is that I don't get any, just a lot of love and hugs and kisses and ...... Come to think of it that's not bad either.

Shiv said...

Too much yaar...real hilarious..particularly the mom part

La Louve said...

lovely! :)

Geo said...

a bit late....(but in time for the second wish)

Merry Xmas
and
Happy new year

silverine said...

@Twinkle: that's exactly what I do!
@akansha:"The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree is the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other"
What a lovely thought!!!! :)
@Safari Al: No we dont he he :))
@Alexis: thank you, it's such a pleasure to see a comment from you.
@activity:Now you tell me!! :)) It would be interesting indeed to see people expressions when the gifts get switched :-p And no one in my family blogs ..thank god! Or it would literally be an online war between me and my brother.
@Jaguu: Checked the link and then forwarded it around ;)
@sujay and hiren ; Thank you :)
@suhas: Thank you :)
@lostintrance: Thankfully everyone liked my gifts :)
@sangeetha: It really is a pain thinking up gifts isn't it? Nowadys I just go to Forum and browse around for ideas:)
@browser: You are indeed lucky to get those hugs and kisses! :)
@shiv: ah a fellow sufferer I think ;)
@wbix:Thank you! :)
@Geo:Wish you the same :)

Praveen said...

Good one silverine :). I am kinda envious at the amount of gifts ppl get during xmas, lot of options to choose from :). what did u finally get

silverine said...

@praveen: I did get some lovely gifts this time. Thank god no monkey caps and electric kettles lol