Ready or not, it’s crunch time. It’s such a frantic time of year. Everybody seems stressed out. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised as it will be like this at least through boxing day. I made the mistake of going out to Quartier Dix-30 on the weekend. After securing a parking spot a number of kilometers away (I’m only mildly exaggerating) I faced hordes and hordes of people trying to shop. I wish I had read Christelle’s post (below) before I did that! It’s true, the downtown malls are totally empty weekdays, except around lunchtime, when it’s like being in a beehive. Instead of physically shopping this year, I’m doing a lot of cybershopping. All the big box stores have websites, and if you know what you want, it’s easy as pie to order. But I wouldn’t push it past the weekend since you have to allow time for delivery. It’s also wonderful this year to have a white coat blanketing the lawns and rooftops, it does make the city seem more festive at this time of year. As for me, the cards are mailed, the tree is up, the holiday music is in the CD player and I’ve just got 2 gifts to go. Here’s hoping you make it through these last two weeks!