Shopping

So I went to Tesco this morning, and was greeted by huge "Merry Christmas" signs and aisle after aisle of Xmas decorations, food, candies, etc. Yes, since there is no Thanksgiving here to "officially" kick of the season, they start whenever they like. (Actually, the Xmas stuff started appearing last month, but today was the first day they had the aisles set up and the wrapping paper etc.)

See, stores over here run out of shit. REALLY early. You cannot shop last-minute in the UK. There will be nothing left. The first year we were here, since we didn't have our own place until 23 November, we were stuck. We looked online. I found a website that had a great selection of Angelina Ballerina stuff (Princess was way into AB at that time).

It was December 14th. The store was closed until mid-January. So their employees could have a Christmas holiday. Admirable, but, um, stupid and irritating. A TOY store that closes for the entire Xmas season? Ooohkay.

Anyway, here's my point. We've started our shopping here. We've picked up several things for the girls already (of course, Faerie's birthday being December 8 forces us to move fast anyway). And I'm hunting around for myself and the hubs, as well as various Stateside folks who, let's be honest, could buy their own gifts because it's all cheaper and better there anyway. But I digress. (Sorry, I am irritated, because I spent several fruitless hours Saturday night trying to locate anyplace in the UK where I could buy Frye boots online, and came up zeros across the board. Grrr. I want those boots!)

I have come across some gems to share, though. I must own this. In fact, that website is filled with awesome.

Also check out these, which are a little bit of cool I've decided is worth the price.

I'm also looking at gifties for the hubs, which this year will include a pair of cufflinks. One thing I do love here is that men are much more likely to wear cufflinks, and I love them. I think they're so sharp (so much so that all but, I believe, TWO of my heroes [by which I mean that I write] wear them regularly. And one of those has the excuse that he rarely wears shirts, because he is a Fae warrior.) Anyway.

Here's the (sort of) point, which I fear is lost in all this gushy girly drivel. Hubs and I were looking at cuff links in Harrod's. There were many, many there with diamonds or cubics or whatever, which the hubs eschewed. I asked why.

He said, "Men shouldn't sparkle."

And that is why I love him.

I've been tempted to write a pinky ring on one character, but something always held me back, and I think that's what it is. Men shouldn't wear watched with floating diamonds or diamond-encrusted bezels. Men shouldn't wear big rocks. (I will accept, and hubs agrees, a tiny diamond as the "12" on a watch face, or on an otherside unadorned tie pin.) But something about it just feels...showy. Men shouldn't need to draw attention to themselves like that.

(This does not include various items in chunky platinum, titanium, or silver. I love unadorned chains around men's necks--especially the lumpy kind that hold dogtags--and rings are generally fine too. I like jewelry on men, even bracelets if they're thick and plain enough, or if they're spiked black leather. But nothing sparkly. Nothing attention-grabbing. A man's presence should command attention without it.)

And tose are my shopping thoughts for the day.