WITH every passing year I find it trickier to know what to buy my nearest and dearest for Christmas. Am I terribly out of touch or does choosing gifts increasingly feel like the festive equivalent of a gruelling assault course on a survival reality game show?
The other day I found myself hankering for a trip to Woolworths. I realise there are plenty of shops in a similar ilk still around today – The Range, B&M and Home Bargains et al – but, in truth, what I am really nostalgic for is the erstwhile simplicity of it all.
I’m as guilty as anyone of traipsing to the sprawling out-of-town retail parks but, lately, I have been yearning for the yesteryear of the high street. As a youngster I used to love catching the train into Edinburgh Waverley and visiting the shops along Princes Street.
There was a sense of place and occasion – the views of the castle, the Christmas tree on the Mound, the sparkling magic of Jenners department store – that you don’t get in a soulless and generic mall.
I remember a similar thrill when we would hop on a train from Lanarkshire with my gran and disembark at Argyle Street Station in Glasgow, stepping into a hubbub of colour, noise and people that made your senses crackle with anticipation.
Perhaps that is rose-tinted specs. A sure-fire sign of getting older is trying to paper over the cracks of modern life with over-egged sentimentality.
Either way, this year I have done much of my Christmas shopping online and there is something depressingly detached and soul-sapping about that too.
No matter that you are trying your best to support small, independent retailers in these precarious times, it is still a largely 2-D experience.
READ MORE: Susan Swarbrick: Netflix romcom A Castle For Christmas isn’t all bad. Oh wait …
Then there is the quagmire to wade through, from endless poring over ingredients listed on packaging to fretting about carbon footprints, sustainability and ethical sourcing – all vitally important, yet that doesn’t make it any less exhausting.
Maybe there is too much choice? Maybe there is too little? Maybe I am fatigued by the prospect of a second pandemic Christmas. Maybe we all are.
Speak to anyone about their favourite festive memories and the same thing rings true time and again – it is always the simple moments that stick in the mind, rather than big elaborate gestures or expensive gifts.
The old adage goes that perfectionism is the thief of joy – something I often fall foul of myself – and never is that truer than at this time of year when the pressure to create an idyllic, picture-postcard Christmas reaches ridiculous levels.
READ MORE: Susan Swarbrick: Am I becoming grumpy or is everyone very annoying?
There are folk with to-do lists longer than Santa’s naughty roll call. Mainly mundane tasks like tracking down artisan cheeses or cleaning all the skirting boards when, brass tacks, none of that really matters. This year I intend not to collapse in an exhausted heap come Christmas Eve.
Our columns are a platform for writers to express their opinions. They do not necessarily represent the views of The Herald
HOW TO BECOME A HERALD SUBSCRIBER
For just £2 for two months, you can instantly read your favourite writers including Susan Swarbrick, Teddy Jamieson, Alison Rowat, Mark Smith, Vicky Allan, Russell Leadbetter and Barry Didcock, as well as Ron Mackenna, Rab McNeil, and the (in)famous Herald Diary.
Subscribe to The Herald and don't miss a single word from your favourite writers by clicking here
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here