I went downtown last weekend to do some Christmas shopping.

See how normal of a sentence that seems?

I got on the bus, walked to Armory Square, and knocked off about a quarter of my shopping. When I talked about it a few days later, answering innocent questions about my weekend, I was greeted with the same response almost 100 percent of the time: "You went downtown? To go shopping?

Interestingly, I got a similar response from some of the store clerks. They'd ask if I was killing time, and I'd say, no, I came downtown to Christmas-shop, and they'd ask, "You came downtown? Specifically to go Christmas shopping?

I thought it was a pretty normal idea for a nice Saturday, especially for someone like me who can't stand being: 1) in traffic, 2) in crowds, and 3) indoors on a mild day.

For some reason I find myself very defensive about the reactions I've gotten to this choice. But I read my share of inspirational greeting cards. I know I'm supposed to be the change I want to see in the world. I haven't yet figured out how to bring back social dancing to my generation, but shopping? I'm a product of the 80's. And the suburbs. Shopping I can manage, even if it is in a different milieu than I grew up with.

So, yeah. I went shopping. Downtown. On purpose. And I'll go again.