Last night I worked at the bookstore from 5 p.m. until 12:30 a.m.  How to describe it?  Well, let’s just say that there was a full moon shining and there were many frustrated, tired, angry and confused people shopping. Seven hours of standing behind a cash register, smiling and asking if gift receipts are needed, is way too many.  Though sometimes cute things happened.  Like the mother who had children’s books hidden under her coat and who distracted the kids as she slid them silently to me to scan.  I recognized them as Christmas gifts, scanned them and quietly double bagged them so the kids didn’t see.  Or the ten year old who returned a book she had received as a gift and got a gift card in return, and who spent HOURS searching for just the perfect book to spend her new found wealth on.  She bought a book as a Christmas gift for her brother rather than one for herself.  Her gap-toothed grin said it all.  But mostly there were frazzled grownups with stacks of stuff who had waited in one long line too many that day and were ready to take it out on someone.  And the poor cashier is someone, isn’t she?

When I got home around 1 in the morning Katie was frantic for play.  But my feet hurt, my head hurt, even my hair hurt, so we went to bed.  This morning she and I are playing for a bit, before I head out to my other job.  At the library today we are doing crafts with about 30 5-7 year old kids.  And tomorrow I work at the bookstore again until 12:30 in the morning.  I can barely stand all this holiday cheer!