Day:325, Words:325

The slippery period continues and there is no end in sight. The temperature is not high enough to melt the ice and the town is in desparate need of some snow to cover up the dangerous surfaces. The council trucks have been busy, dumping loose gravel along the roads, giving the vehicles an opportunity to make it up to the top of the hills. Some of the residents have been taking matters into their own hands, purchasing their own bags of small stonage and scattering the contents on the driveways and outside the entrances to their homes.

The whole town looks drunk as the residents continue to shuffle like toddlers, trying to stay upright on the way to their destination.

Øksfjord is home to one smallish supermarket and a hardware store and the range of stock in these two shopping alternatives does not provide the best opportunity for the purchase of Christmas gifts. The nearest shopping centre is a two hour drive on the icy, slippery road and most Øksfjordians make at least one trip during the silly season but the craze of online shopping is taking off here. There is a large range of online stores and the locals are starting to aknowledge the advantages.

Of course, the internet purchasing experience will not provide a four hour journey, the fun of parking, the glorious sounds of tired kids, the joy of standing in a queue or the bliss of being ignored by grumpy teenage shop attendents but it does have its good points. The main one is price.

The average shopper can save thousands of kroner by visiting the www.nochristmasshoppingstress type websites. Norwegians do make a big deal about the festive season and attack it with full enthusiasm. Christmas present shopping is a very important task. It is imperative that the gifts find their way under the tree by the 24th. The internet shopping experience promises promt delivery between 5 and 7 working days.

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