Christmas shopping

I keep reminding myself of this experience I had recently in a local store while I was shopping for some Christmas gifts.

A few days before Christmas, Sidney and I were shopping at a wonderful craft store that we love to go to. Sidney loves to shop here and buy something with her money. That particular day she bought some paper. I am not sure if she gets more excited about what she is buying or the fact that she gets a receipt after she pays for her purchase. (She gets very worked up if she can't find her receipt)

We were waiting in line and that day there was a candle sale and the lady ahead of us bought about 20 candles, enough for $70 worth. I am sure they were wonderful candles and a great bargain but the cashier got a little too into the transaction. As the cashier rung up each candle, she smelled each and every candle. Yep, each and every candle.

Her smell wasn't just a quick smell. It was a long inhale followed by a pause and then a gradual smile. The candle was put down, slowly. Then, the next candle was picked up. This was done over and over with every single candle. In between the smelling by the cashier, she would make a few comments. Yes, she even stopped to talk about her smelling extravaganza. One comment was, "I just love candles. Candles are the best thing in this store. I could smell candles all day long." And then, on to smelling again.

This cashier was enjoying her job. During this holiday season, that could be a hard thing to do. At the time, I was a little ticked off that I had to wait so long to finish my shopping at that store. But, I am happier that the other people who were waiting didn't make a scene in front of my daughter who was anxiously waiting to buy her paper and receive her receipt. The holiday season isn't about being rude to others in the store just because you are in a hurry or driving like a maniac because you still have 2 more stores to get to in an hour. I appreciate the patience of those behind me that day and for the cashier to give me a few moments to reflect on this season. Maybe only smell half of the candles next time though :)