For those who read my last entry, you know things are less than perfect in my life. Despite that, however, I have managed a bit of holiday spirit without the use of spirits. The only mood elevators I’ve used are holiday music, decorating and baking – better than any drug.
Even with the best of years, it’s not always easy to maintain the joy of the season that we likely felt as kids. Things were happier, unburdened, and new even when money was tight. Gifts weren’t just the joy of ripping through paper, but the anticipation of what was there just for us and the look on others’ faces for the gifts we chose just for them. We looked forward to meals because they were the best, not to mention the additional sweets along the way, and it was okay to have more than we should. Chores for the day were always before the celebration, not so much after. Ice was for skating on or at least sliding across if you couldn’t stay up on skates. We delighted in snow and the greater the accumulation, the better.
Years later, there’s a sense of been there and done that. The weight of our lives and the troubles of the world sometimes make it hard to to get into the holiday spirit. The world is not as ideal as we might remember and hope it would be. The innocence that we approached the holidays with about gifts, food and the weather have been replaced with the realities associated with them. For some, it’s no presents, no food, and having to deal with the elements firsthand and not by choice because home is far away or nonexistent.
Yet, the holidays come anyway, and like the Grinch, we can’t stop them from coming just because things are bad and we’re not in the mood for them. We can try to sabotage them all we want, even if only in our corner of things, and they’ll still come. It’s a feeling, after all, not just things. It is a sense of joy and hope, love and peace, if only for a few days. So, revel in it while it's here.
As for me, the spirit of the season was a little slow in overtaking me, but it did manage to win the battle. Even though it’s only me without presents or a tree, the lights and decorations are up. There's eggnog (no booze) tonight, and I’ve planned a good repast for tomorrow from which there will be leftovers for days. Finally, I made a small batch of cookies – chocolate chip from scratch and they came out perfect. Santa gets first dibs and I’ll deal with the rest.
To all, no matter who you are, no matter what your beliefs, I wish you happiness and the grandest of days now and in the year ahead.
Showing posts with label holidays. Show all posts
Showing posts with label holidays. Show all posts
Saturday, December 24, 2016
Friday, November 23, 2012
The Pre-Black Friday Blues
And now, release the shoppers and let the Black Friday shopping begin!
Oh wait, they already did -- on Thanksgiving morning.
You know, I don't care that the store CEOs, etc. who made the executive decision for early Thanksgiving opening are calling it a trial run and that they won't do it again if it doesn't go well. They already know starting the holiday shopping frenzy on Thanksgiving is a successful sales boost gimmick because it's been happening for a few years now. They just decided to push the envelope and make a much deeper excursion into a day when their employees should be having some rest and relaxation away from the time clock. They claim to make it acceptable by only having the store open for a few hours in the morning, letting their workers go home for a few hours to family, friends, food and football, then having them return for the main event later in the day.
Greed fuels this decision. Greed for bargains by consumers, greed for profit by management/owners and stockholders. They say they need this extra advantage to stay ahead of the competition. But if other companies follow suit, as some are likely to, the advantage of this even earlier opening of the holiday gift hunting season will quickly be lost. Might as well just stay open 24/7/365, like L. L. Bean decided to do long ago.
I've made this argument before, that holidays are losing their meaning in the face of crass commercialism. Retail stores are not essential services like fire fighters, police and medical workers. Having no "down time" may help keep a business open and people employed, but the negative impact beyond the dollar signs is far from small in terms of what it does to family and community.
Capitalism may be the Great American Way, but at what price?
Oh wait, they already did -- on Thanksgiving morning.
You know, I don't care that the store CEOs, etc. who made the executive decision for early Thanksgiving opening are calling it a trial run and that they won't do it again if it doesn't go well. They already know starting the holiday shopping frenzy on Thanksgiving is a successful sales boost gimmick because it's been happening for a few years now. They just decided to push the envelope and make a much deeper excursion into a day when their employees should be having some rest and relaxation away from the time clock. They claim to make it acceptable by only having the store open for a few hours in the morning, letting their workers go home for a few hours to family, friends, food and football, then having them return for the main event later in the day.
Greed fuels this decision. Greed for bargains by consumers, greed for profit by management/owners and stockholders. They say they need this extra advantage to stay ahead of the competition. But if other companies follow suit, as some are likely to, the advantage of this even earlier opening of the holiday gift hunting season will quickly be lost. Might as well just stay open 24/7/365, like L. L. Bean decided to do long ago.
I've made this argument before, that holidays are losing their meaning in the face of crass commercialism. Retail stores are not essential services like fire fighters, police and medical workers. Having no "down time" may help keep a business open and people employed, but the negative impact beyond the dollar signs is far from small in terms of what it does to family and community.
Capitalism may be the Great American Way, but at what price?
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