Hi, allow me to explain something to you...
1. The Christmas spirit is about peace, love, and goodwill for all people. Please try to remember that when you're out shopping for your loved ones. It's not about gifts, or material exchanges - the kindness, grace, and humility you behave with towards strangers often says more about your character than the generosity of the gifts you'll be exchanging on December 25th.
(This rant is really just my way of venting about some experiences I had today, when I was out completing some Christmas shopping. As the title of this rant suggests, it's just a collection of things I would like to explain to the negative people I encountered today. Feel free to add your own!)
2. The concept of lining up to pay for your purchases works like this: you pick a line and then you stay in that line and move forward as the line moves forward. The lining system does not work like you think it does. You don't get to stand in the centre and get into whatever line is moving faster, cutting in front of someone who did choose a line (even if it happens to be the faster one). You don't laugh condescendingly when someone asks you what line you're in, and you don't snidely say, "whichever one moves first."
3. If you're at a mall during a peak time in the holiday season, and the parking lot is completely full, it would be nice if you could free up a parking space as soon as you can, out of consideration for people who are searching aimlessly for a place to park. I know, you're entitled to take as much time as you need, once you've put your purchases away and sat in your car, and I know you're under no obligation to move out of that parking spot once you're all settled. But it would be great if you'd consider the line of cars just waiting for a spot.
4. I know it's cold outside. I know putting carts away can seem like a hassle once you've put away your bags and your warm, toasty car is welcoming you in out of the cold. I know it's tempting to leave your cart right by your trunk, because well, other people do it, and who's going to know? But you've walked from your car to the store, through the store, and now back to your car. You could walk a few more yards to put your cart back in the cart rack - you don't have to walk back to the store. In putting your cart away, you can ensure that you're not obstructing a perfectly fine parking spot. Please also realize that just as it's cold outside, it is also really windy outside. I know you don't want a cart slamming into your car because of that wind. Other people? Well, they don't want that either. So please, please, walk those few steps, put your cart away, keep the parking lot clear, and keep cars dent-free.
Yup, today I encountered a miserable woman who couldn't decide between two lines, a gentleman who could care less about parking shortages, and I had a cart slam into my car. Pretty sucky experiences, which warranted this rant.
But you know what? I kept a smile on my face, let a man with one purchase go ahead of me in line, paid for a woman's plastic bags, and tried to make someone's day better through random acts of kindness. That's what Christmas is about. That's what the holiday season is meant to represent. I didn't do anything revolutionary, and I don't really believe it's a RAOK if you brag about it. I just mentioned these RAOKs as examples of the small ways that I tried to make the days of other people better to counteract the negative acts that made my day worse.
Merry Christmas and happy holidays, SCers!