Today I drove to the feed store to order a few more bales of 50/50 mix hay. It's a great shipment of orchard grass and alfalfa that came in from a grower in the far northern tip of Nevada, and Wally relishes it. I happen to have a few extra bucks so I figured I might as well stock up on "the good stuff" before it's all gone.
Just as I exchanged greetings with Tracy, the store manager, I was stopped in my tracks by a large display of holiday greeting cards. They were impossible to miss. A huge tower of cardboard shelves cradled cards featuring barnyard scenes, ponies in the snow, cowboys weathering a winter storm and Santa hitching horses to his sleigh. At first I was mesmerized. "Oh goody!" I literally said to Tracy, "now I don't have to order out of the catalog. You have a huge assortment right here!"
And then, I realized, it's only mid-September.
But I'll be honest. I've already been filing away ideas for holiday gifts for more than a month. I have some clues as to what to get for my sister, Jill. I even bought a few trinkets on sale that I can dispense as gifts at parties. So it's not like I haven't been incubating a holiday mindset. It's just that the mountain of greeting cards blocking my path-- at the feed store, no less-- kind of caught me by surprise.
Yet now that we're on the topic (or at least I'm on the topic), I decided to begin my Christmas wish list. Thus far I've only come up with one thing: A clip-on watch, the style that can snap to a belt loop on my jeans or a dee-ring on my saddle with a heavy duty caribiner snap. It's the kind hikers use, although my lack of direction notwithstanding, I really can do without the compass that most of these watches include. You see, I absolutely detest wearing a wristwatch but occasionally, doggone it, I need to know what time it is. Imagine that! So a clip-on watch would work great for when I'm trail riding or giving riding lessons. Other than that, I'm still conjuring up ideas.
If you're like me, you've probably already have at least one thing you're hoping for this holiday season. Click on this link: All I Want from Santa to go directly to the latest installment of HI Spy on Horse Channel. Then leave your comments there, letting your fellow readers (and maybe an elf or two?) know what you'd like to find all wrapped up with a bow.
In the meantime, I have some western wear catalogs and outdoor equipment catalogs to browse through...
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3 comments:
Unfortunately, I'm already thinking about Christmas as well. It still does seem somewhat far away, but after reading your post, I realized that it is only 3 months away!
But just like, you've, I've already been browsing though many tack catalogs and marking off everything that I want, and don't need. :)
My family never has any idea what to get me for Christmas, since all I like is horses, and I'm the only person that likes, or knows anything about horses in my family. What I normally do is just grab a few catalogs, such as State Line Tack, Dover Saddlery, Back In The Saddle, and a few others, and I circle everything that I want, and write down a list, with the page number and details of the item. Then I just give everyone the list, and off they go! They never have to guess about what to get me, and I never have to open up a bad present that I'll never use!
*** big gulp ****
Christmas? What? I hadn't even thought of it. OH MY GOODNESS. Well, my family knows that tsc or orscheln's gift cards are the best! My mom HATES giving money for a christmas gift, but a few years ago she gave me $40, and apologized, saying that she hadn't had time to get me a gift card, and saying that the money was to use for horsey- stuff. I got a nice felt saddle pad that was on sale, and a bottle of Show-sheen... YAY! Guilt-free horse shopping!! Woohoo!!!
Jamie
p.extra s. MOM, I know you're gonna read this. I love you! :) Just in case anybody asks you what I want for christmas, horsey stuff is the bestest!
Oh, I'm famous (infamous?) for creating a gift wish list and presenting it to all the "Santas" I know right around Halloween. You know, so they can start their shopping and not feel rushed.
I can't believe it's only 3 months away! I'd better start budgeting for the gifts I need to BUY! Hmmm... I wonder if any tack stores are planning on pre-holiday sales???
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