The Season of Crowds, Carts, and a Little Extra Kindness

Well, today I can feel it — the crazy is right around the corner.

And no, I’m not talking about that one unpredictable relative at Thanksgiving who you’re never quite sure what they’re going to bring up. (Honestly, with the right amount of caffeine in my system, I find them pretty entertaining.)

I’m talking about something far more universal:
Christmas shopping chaos.

Last week, I decided to be intentional — like, superhero-on-a-mission intentional — and show up at our favorite thrift store right when they opened. We flip items, and this was the big day when all the Christmas stuff hits the shelves. Normally I’m the guy poking fun at stores for putting Christmas out the day after Thanksgiving… and yet here I was, speed-walking into a thrift store like a man who absolutely needed to rifle through Santa mugs and tinsel garland.

But the second I walked in, I knew I was in trouble.

It was way too “peoply.”

You know the kind of peoply I’m talking about —
people chatting in the middle of aisles, carts sideways, nobody moving, just a full gridlock of holiday shoppers.

My anxiety kicks in when too many humans occupy my bubble.
(And yes, I try to be kind… but even kind people have a bubble.)

Usually when this happens, I do one of two things:

1. Escape the store like I’m fleeing a natural disaster, or
2. If I’m with my wife, calmly excuse myself to go wait in the car like a golden retriever who has reached his social limit.

This time I managed to grab a few things — total was like eight bucks — and I hightailed it out of there straight to Goodwill. Much better luck there. Fewer people, better treasures, and a bonus: a functioning nervous system.

While I was at Goodwill, my wife called.

She knows that thrift store usually packs their carts to the brim on days like this, so she asked, “What’d you get? Bet you got a ton!”
But not this day.

Then she paused and asked the magic question — the one only someone who truly knows me would ask:

“Was it too peoply?”

Yup.
Way too peoply.

So she went later and spent like $50 — which just proves the importance of having a partner in crime who thrives where you tap out.

But here’s why I’m telling you this story.

We’re officially entering that season —
the season where everything is crowded, lines are long, people are stressed, and someone is always one inconvenience away from snapping.

I’ve seen people go off on strangers in public.
It’s not pretty.

COVID even gave a name to this behavior: Karens.

But here’s the perspective shift:

We don’t know anyone’s story.

If we’re annoyed walking through a store for 20 minutes,
imagine the people working there
— all day, every day, in the crowds, the noise, the repeats, the complaints.

So this year, maybe we slow down just a bit and choose kindness —
not just for the season, but for life in general.

Try a few small things:

• Grab a cart for someone.
• Hold a door (it really is a lost art).
• Tip generously.
• Say thank you — sincerely.
• Let someone cut in line.
• Buy a small treat for a stranger.
• Smile at people who look worn down by holiday stress.

These things don’t cost a lot, but they mean a ton.

And the secret?

Doing good makes your heart feel lighter too.

Because we don’t know the battles the person next to us is facing.
They could’ve just lost their job.
They might be one step away from homelessness.
They may not know how they’re going to buy Christmas gifts for their kids this year.

Whatever the story, love and kindness never land in the wrong place.

So show a little extra grace this season.
It might brighten someone else’s day —
and maybe, just maybe, it’ll brighten yours too.