Door 17: Shopping

Believe or not, I love Xmas shopping. I mean, I may moan about the stress and I may get angry at other people in the stores, but I like to go out and buy stuff to others. Also, believe it or not, I’m great at it.

Because I like buying presents to others, I often seem to get pretty good presents, which obviously raises the bar for the next year, but with a little bit of luck, I seem to stumble on nice presents every year.

Except this year, but then again, I say that every year.

However, the first time I was out buying presents – which also must have meant that I didn’t really believe in Santa Claus anymore – I found something I liked so much I wanted to get it for myself.

Mom took me Xmas shopping, and I guess she also gave me a budget (money) to get something for her and Dad, and maybe a couple of cousins, and we took the train to downtown Helsinki and then a tram close to where Dad worked.

We weren’t there because Dad worked close by, we were there because there was a huge toy store and while I wasn’t going to hit Mom’s and Dad’s presents there, it was a good place to find something for my cousins.

And me.

Although, honestly, I didn’t think I was going to buy anything for myself, I wasn’t going to, that was never the plan … but who could resist buying that gorgeous plastic snow globe?

I couldn’t.

I tried, I picked it up and put it back and picked it up and put it back and I wasn’t going to buy but I did like it, I really liked it. A lot.

So I asked Mom if I could buy one, for myself.

And she said yes.

I had it for years, even decades, and then lost it, but the story of my buying it turned into a family legend.

Really? You ask.

And I say, “really”. The last time I heard Mom re-tell the story – to me – was today.

That was the perfect present, and it keeps on giving.


This is the From The Desk of Risto Pakarinen 2017 advent calendar. Behind every door, you’ll find something related to the 1980s

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