Stocking up

The Parents and The Sister are halfway here from the hometown for their Christmas visit, overnighting at Dad's place (see Transportation for more info on their living arrangements).  Dad called from the store tonight to ask about what Husband might like for Christmas; Mom was an hour away having apparently driven separately.

They called again later from another favorite shopping haunt - Mom asking me for help on what The Sister could get me for Christmas.  The Sister is 27 years old and fully capable of asking her own gift idea questions, so what we're really asking here is what Mom can pick out to be from The Sister.  I put Mom on the phone with Husband (sorry dear) and left the room to get a drink.

Also, Dad mentioned that they will be stopping by the grocery store in the morning before leaving if we need anything - this while calling from elsewhere in the same building.  They are coming from NINE HOURS AWAY.  What the everloving hell could 1) we POSSIBLY need from them that we couldn't ask for tonight, not that we would, or 2) THEY need so desperately tomorrow, in the CAR, for NINE HOURS, that THEY couldn't get tonight.  Also, we have grocery stores.  In fact I can walk to one from my house.  It's not like we live in a vast wasteland without a place to go buy food.

Ordinarily I wouldn't give a crap what they do, but going to the store in the morning will set them back an hour that they could have used getting here at a decent hour and beating the weather we're expecting tomorrow evening.  But they won't, because what if they need a 10 pound bag of oranges?  And there's an orange shortage?  My god, we'll all get scurvy and die clawing at the doors of the grocery store.