An IKEA Christmas

We took a family trip to IKEA last weekend to do some Christmas shopping. For those of you who don't know, I'm infatuated with IKEA. I am really picky about things like furniture and home decor, and usually when I go to furniture stores I only like about 10 percent or less of the furniture on display. But when I go to IKEA, my main problem is that there are too many things that fit my style. I can't tell you the number of imaginary apartments I've decorated with IKEA furniture.

Living abroad It doesn't help matters any. IKEA has become for me a symbol of American consumerism (never mind that it's a Swedish store). It's exactly the opposite of most stores in China: self-service, no bargaining or haggling, and contemporary style. It's so nice to be able to go somewhere where I can browse for as long as I like, know exactly what something costs, and not have to be pestered by annoying salespeople.

We had a lot of fun, spent a lot of money, and got most of our Christmas shopping done. (I still need to pick up a few things for Benjamin so that he has at least one surprise on Christmas morning.) The whole day really put me in the Christmas spirit, and instead of challenging myself about why I tend to equate consumerism with Christmas, I decided to just enjoy the feeling while it lasts!