I dislike Christmas shopping. I dislike the hype, the canned carols, the tacky decorations - and above all, the crowds. Just the thought of going out to get the annual gifts terrifies me. Actually, I dislike any shopping. Especially in a new country. The stress of just going out to get the groceries this morning nearly killed me.

[More:]

I got there safely enough, but then found I didn't have the right coin to extricate a caddy, so I had to queue for ages to change a note. Then, having managed to find a successful 66% of what was on my list, I queued for half an hour (this was at 9 a.m. - I'd gone early specially) only to discover that no, this supermarket doesn't weigh the fruit and veg at the checkout. So back I went to weigh it it the fruit and veg section, and tagged on to the end of another queue. Only to discover, when I got to the front, that this particular checkout wasn't for caddy-pushers - the caddy wouldn't fit through the space. But since my huge pile of shopping (I'd decided this was to be a once-monthly effort) was already offloaded onto the counter thingy, the checkout man let me bunk another queue with the caddy to get it the other side, much to the consternation of fellow-shoppers. Then I couldn't find my car, and wandered around in circles through cold concrete before at last locating it. I piled everything into the boot and drove out. Phew. Done. I thought. Till I suddely found myself going round a roundabout the wrong way, with people hooting from all directions. Well, I was in Belfast for a few days and only got back yesterday, so driving anti-clockwise semmed a bit odd...Lugging the stuff up to the flat was quite easy in comparison with what had come before.

Back home, on my 'to do' list' for this afternoon, was the Christmas shopping. No way was I heading out again in the car. I settled down at my laptop, and half an hour later I was done. Try it. www.ethicalsuperstore.com and www.naturalcollection.com . No hype. No carols and decorations. No crowds. No lost car. Pretty, ethical, fair trade stuff, all laid out in a way you can understand.

And now I can happily get a tram and go and visit the Christmas market at the Grand'Place, knowing I don't have to buy anything.