THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, December 22, 1995 TAG: 9512220059
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E9 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LACY HALL, HIGH SCHOOL CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 61 lines
IT DOESN'T MATTER how slow the 11 preceding months creep by, December always sneaks up with cold weather, overworked postal workers and a bundle of spiritual holidays.
Kwanzaa, Hanukkah and Christmas all add up to endless hours of horrific holiday shopping. But they don't have to. A group of friends and I discovered a way to make holiday shopping fun and, most importantly, economical.
A few years back, a female friend, always the pioneer of inventive alternatives, suggested that we pledge to buy all of our gifts at Revco. At first, nobody jumped at this idea, but then we realized that getting something cheap that had a personal meaning was better than spending a week's wages getting your buddy that Vanilla Ice CD that he's been wanting. Besides, none of our Dairy Queen wages could actually support a shopping spree on Rodeo Drive.
So for the past couple of years, cheap presents have been flowing between us like denture cream at a retirement breakfast. And every year the shopping spots get weirder.
Big Lots, K-Mart and 7-11 have all been suggested. This year, after days of consideration we declared that this would be a Phar-Mor Christmas. Phar-Mor's got it all - wide aisles, bargain bins, books, toys and groceries.
This year, though, I've been temporarily handicapped by a broken ankle, which meant that I needed a partner. I immediately enlisted my best friend and caretaker John Upton, a junior at First Colonial. John is the Martha Stewart of holiday gift giving - if he can't buy it for under $2, then he makes it. He is the one who introduced me to the ideology that a bad holiday gift, much like a coffee stain, is eternal and never forgotten.
So after school on a recent Thursday, we began our yuletide mission at Phar-Mor. Much like Moses, John guided me down aisle after aisle in search of the perfect gifts.
For a friend who recently left her small, animal-filled farm to move to Hampton Roads, we bought a box of animal crackers. We thought that it was a very practical idea to buy a Lil' Kiddie Doctor medical bag for an athletic friend who's always modeling an injury. And what, you may ask, do you get a girl who has her whole life in control and in the palm of her hand? Why, a personalized yo-yo, of course.
Overall, we bought 17 presents for 17 friends for $38.67, tax included. That's an average of around $2 per gift, not including the free Pez dispenser we found in the parking lot outside.
That took care of most of my friends, but what about all those extra acquaintances who pop up with surprise presents and then expect gifts in return? It's funny how I always seem to be alone on Valentine's Day but am bombarded with unexpected friends around Christmas gift-giving time.
The two of us, inspired by the yuletide spirit, headed to the local Taco Bell and picked up $10 worth of gift certificates that can be passed out as individual dollars.
All together, this brought our grand total to 27 presents for under $50, and it was all completed in less than three hours. It makes me wonder if Santa has ever thought of doing his holiday shopping at Phar-Mor? by CNB