The Christmas Season was well on its way before Thanksgiving however I didn’t venture into the shopping arena until Thanksgiving weekend. Our Portsmouth NH excursion two days following the big meal plunged us into the spirit of the season. The small city was packed with holiday shoppers or window shoppers or some just walking off overindulgence of Thanksgiving. The sounds of Christmas music resonated from corners, we found coffee shops and every store we entered packed with revelers, there were horse drawn carriage rides, tempting foods, and to top it off, snow flurries late in the day added much to holiday ambience.  I love the atmosphere of shopping in a city. Are enclosed shopping malls on the way out?

With the shortened shopping season, shoppers seem to be frenzied to make sure gifts are purchased and mailed in time. Today, December 9, gives us 5 days for USPS standard mail.

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