This past weekend my husband, David, and I ventured out of Hills to participate in the Luverne Winterfest craft fair.We had been preparing our handmade items for several weeks and were very anxious to see what people would think of them. Unfortunately, our booth was not well-attended. Because our business had not participated in a craft fair before, we suspected things would go slowly. And they did.Instead of selling to the patrons, I spent six hours watching holiday shoppers hunt for the perfect treasure for a loved one or the centerpiece that would complete their Christmas table, and the vast majority of the shoppers seemed upset to even be there.These shoppers had paid one dollar to get into the craft fair, yet many looked as if they were being forced to attend. The gym at the high school was not crowded, holiday music was pumped in over the loud speakers, Mr. & Mrs. Claus were in attendance, children could be seen bouncing for joy, yet people were not smiling.Perhaps that is why they choose to crowd booths peddling national pre-packaged products instead of supporting the local artisans.When did holiday shopping become mundane and painful?After watching the miserable shoppers, I vowed to finish my holiday shopping this week without ever frowning or letting other shoppers bring me down.Giving gifts is supposed to fill a person’s heart with joy. Finding that one item that will put a smile on a grandparent’s face or the twinkle in a child’s eye is to be treasured, not resented.If you haven’t enjoyed your holiday shopping so far this season, perhaps you need to think back to how hard it was for the first gift givers. With Internet shopping, television shopping, pages of holiday ads and mega-malls we have it easy, so why not enjoy the process?