Christmas Pickles

We went shopping last night, mainly to stock up for the long weekend, but also because we felt like we should have something special to eat on Christmas, even if it was just the two of us.

We picked up a few things that made me smile. Things that would make him raise his eyebrow as I put it in the cart, and I would just say "Pickles."

A magazine. A thorough waste of money. You can buy an entire book for that price, and the articles are rarely as interesting as the headlines promise. Plus, you can often get six months worth of the same magazine for the same price if you subscribe. I bought one anyway, and I called it a pickle.

Barbecue potato chips. I don't need them or the calories, but I like them and I wanted them and we bought them.

Movie rental. We own movies we don't watch. You can get movies for free from the library. There are movies on television. You can Hulu for free. Seeing him doubled-over laughing at "The Hangover" was worth even more then that $1 we spent on that movie at Redbox.

Aveda Hair Conditioner. I know, I could buy 15 bottles of Suave for the same price.

What are your pickles? Can you buy them with abandon?

I used money I have - money I didn't spend on Christmas. I will use and enjoy each of the items I bought, but I still feel guilty.

I didn't need a movie and a magazine, for example. And the barbecue chips? They won't be gone before Christmas is over, and I will be wanting to diet and here will be these chips. I shouldn't have gotten them. Maybe I should take them back?

Clearly, I still have a ways to go toward thinking unbroke.