Serendipity on a Gloomy Day

Growing up, my parents would get my brother and I Advent Calendars for the Christmas Season. For those who don't know, an Advent Calendar is a calendar that counts from December 1 - 25, and behind each of the dates is a piece of chocolate.

This year was the first year that my parents didn't send us one. ( know, I am 33 and my brother is 38, but we love us some Advent Calendars) My folks are busy going through everything we have owned EVER and have not really been able to relax and do their traditional holiday fun. (ex. We have already been given our Christmas presents, a big fat check. No complaints here)

My brother and I were talking a couple of days ago, and I was at the store looking for an Advent Calendar, and as life goes, the place I was at didn't have one. My brother recommended Target, and I agreed with him, thinking last year I had seen them there. I decided to make a trip to get up my treats.

Fast forward two days to Wednesday, 12/3. I am clearly falling behind in my Christmas Calendar Chocolate Consumption, but life does get in the way. Is a blustery, rainy day. Driving from work was not pretty and I was tempted to push off hunting down this calendar for another day, but as I near my house (and the Target), the rain began to let up, just enough to get my spirit going. So I get to the parking garage, and make my way over to the Target complex. I had multiple missions this night, one was to find Shadow of the Colossus on PS2. So first I go to Best Buy, they don't have my game, and I remember that Target also has an electronics section, so I head over.

Before I get to the electronics section in Target, there is of course the Seasonal section, so I scour the aisles for an Advent Calendar. No luck, but maybe I was just preoccupied by wanting to get the game. So I pop up into electronics and, as my night is going, no dice on the game. Dejectedly I head back to the seasonal section and scour once more, looking very closely. I see so many things there but no Advent Calendar. I look at the impulse buy sections as I am walking out, no luck there either. On a whim, I hop over to Bed Bath & Beyond. They are a store that carries all sorts of funky stuff, so I thought, maybe, just maybe. But nothing there either.

The parking garage is on top of a Giant Grocery store, and you get 2 hour free parking if you buy something at the Giant, so I was already going there. And I thought to scope out there, just to see. Giant has a Seasonal section as well and I walked up and down it twice, still nothing. I walk over to the candy aisle and look, and nothing there. I have given up on the quest.

Since I have to buy something in order to get the free parking, I am walking by all the registers, looking for a Coca-Cola cooler. I see one and reach in and grab a coke, and look up, directly on top of this cooler, and what do I see? ADVENT CALENDARS!

I love when things like that happen. I spent so much time furiously searching for it, only to find it when I gave up hope of having it. The Big Guy has a cracked sense of humor, but I love it, and wouldn't change it for anything.