One of our local department stores announced that they would be open until midnight Friday and Saturday nights. Not to be outdone, surrounding stores in the mall decided to stay open until 10 or 11. This seemed to me to be a great time to shop. Some people would be at parties, some people wouldn't want to be out so late. I left my husband and daughter at home with a movie, and drove to the mall a little after 8:00.

It was wonderful. No crowds! The sales people were restocking shelves emptied by frantic shoppers earlier in the day. It was easy to get help and easy to check out. I left the mall and went across the highway to Wal-Mart. I found a close parking place and got two more gifts off my Christmas list. This is the way for me to shop. I didn't get home until 12:45, but I accomplished so much.

What does this have to do with the BTD…lower stress. As much as I love Christmas, it can be a frantic time of the year. I don't like being jostled by crowds, and not being able to find a parking place. I don't like to feel rushed when I am trying to compare prices and features. During December there are too many impatient people in the stores, and sometimes their impatience is contagious. This, by contrast, was a fun, easy, and productive shopping trip.

OK, if you must have something more closely related to the BTD; sweet potatoes were on sale for 44 cents a pound. I bought lots. Fresh spinach, Romaine lettuce, and broccoli were also on sale. Tomorrow we will feast. But right now I'm starting to feel the effects of the late hour plus 4 ½ hours of shopping.

On the way home from Wal-Mart, I passed a church. The sign out front read. Without Christ it wouldn't be Christmas. Too true.