Ok, there's only two weeks to go until Christmas Day and I've only bought half the presents I need to get.
My son's list is getting longer by the day and apart from a stereo it consists of mainly CD's. He's written in the minor detail because, being an old, ancient dad like I am, what would I know about modern music!
Apart from the fact that it'll be me shouting up the stairs for him to turn it down when the plates and glasses in the cupboards are shattering to the floor.
Apart from the usual smellies and chocolates, I have no idea what to get my own mother for Christmas, or my sister.
Trawling round the shops in my dinner break, barged out of the way by fellow shoppers and having my feet stood on a hundred times by sticky toddlers is not my idea of fun. I'm fast losing the Christmas spirit. With 10 minutes left before I have to get back to work I make it to the music store.
This is a vast black space with the most unearthly noise banging away so I can't hear myself asking the assistant for what is on my list. Giving up, I attempt to find it myself.
Making my way through the crowds I bump into someone who shouts hello sir to me. Looking up I feel a slight stomach churning fear to see a young man tattooed and pierced beyond recognition. From his greeting I assume he was a former pupil at the school where I teach but he is gone before I get chance to work out which one. I give up and go back to work.
That night, exhausted from work, I decide to try a spot of internet shopping for the Christmas presents. I type my son's music choices into my PC and am bombarded with a choice of where to buy from but time is limited as is stock.
Then I come across a site advertising music downloads for an Mp3 player - whatever that is! Further reading shows me that I can purchase a pretty cool looking gadget called an Mp3 player for my son for a very reasonable price then download all the music he could want with the added bonus that I won't be able to hear it.
I don't have to search for his choice, just type in what he has listed and the music downloads onto my PC. Feeling very pleased with my discovery, I go straight out the next day and buy an Mp3 player. That night, when Henry is in bed, I transfer all the music downloads onto the new gadget and test it out. This isn't bad stuff actually.
So, that's him sorted out. But now I have the bug and begin to widen my search of music downloads. This is shopper's heaven and I'm here until late into the night! I download a Chuck Berry album for my mother and a Kenny Rogers album for my sister.
My last music download is The Prodigy album - just for me. Who says I'm old?!
Internet expert Shaun Parker looks at how music download ease Christmas shopping. To find out more please visit
http://mbopmegastore.com/
