‘Tis the season to be silly

This truly is the silly season.

My friend, (I love her dearly) likes to shop. She is from England and obviously things are cheaper in South Africa. Just look at the current exchange rate. We went to buy wine glasses that should not cost you more than R50. She walked out of the shop with more than R500 worth of goods. We walked down every isle, looked at everything on display and every now and then I heard, “We need to get this.” Really?

As if her parents don’t have enough mixing bowls, candlestick holders and cool drink glasses already. Apart from shopping, she also loves to spoil people. I let her be, she gets a thrill out of it.

Shopping spree not over, we went to a well-known supermarket in Krugersdorp where the shopping trolleys some people were filling made my jaw drop.

Maybe it’s me, but buying sweets as if there will be none left tomorrow is just silly. Obese children and grown-ups will be even more obese after this holiday season and it really makes no sense. Look, I like to indulge every now and then, but the parents went beyond the call of duty.

But, I don’t like shopping, I find it tedious and time-consuming. I don’t like crowds bumping into each other.

I don’t even buy Christmas presents simply because prices shoot through the roof. My motto has always been, “my presence is your present.”

On the other hand, I suppose people can afford to indulge in extra spending, especially over Christmas.

As long as shoppers are careful and they don’t overspend, all is well.

In the meantime, enjoy your shopping experience and remain money wise at all time.

There is only one edition of the Record left for this year, and although we are going on a well-deserved break, journalist Mathilde Myburgh will be on standby for emergency calls only. She can be contacted on 061 401 5889.

The offices will be closed from 18 December until 4 January.