Christmas Fruits

I have come to the conclusion that there is no such thing as optimum efficiency. Everyone makes plans to work at optimum efficiency, doing the laundry at optimum efficiency, using fuel at optimum efficiency, completing office work at optimum efficiency. The reason I don’t think there is any such thing as optimum efficiency, is that no one notices if you’re working at optimum efficiency. If you get your work done before time, you will be judged as having ‘nothing to do’ and will subsequently be given something to do.

Like me and my Christmas shopping. I used get my Christmas shopping done at optimum efficiency. I had my Christmas gifts wrapped and well hidden a week before Christmas. I had mailed any and all greeting cards I was planning to send out. I had placed orders for various Christmas gift baskets to be delivered. I had made sure my gifts were just what everyone wanted. I had taken a lot of time and even more planning to buy the best and most unique Christmas gifts ever. By the third week of December I would be ready to sit comfortably on the big sofa and say, ‘Christmas, Bring it on’

And since I dared Christmas, it accepted. I had my family pour in to see me, announce their delight that I had finished my Christmas shopping so early and then ask me to wrap their Christmas holiday gifts. They would remind me not to forget the bow. I longed to tell them that the whole point of completing my Christmas shopping before hand was so I could relax and enjoy the holiday festivities. Not so I could wrap presents for Judy, Ann and Chuck. So like I said, there is no such thing as optimum efficiency. If you finish your Christmas shopping and wrapping early, you have your family’s Christmas shopping and wrapping to fall behind on. I now take as much time as possible to buy Christmas gifts and I am a proud Christmas slacker.