Saturday I was shocked to see
the trim-a-tree department up
and running at Crate & Barrel.
Given Halloween is still weeks
away, I could not believe what
I was seeing. Frankly it only
confirms that immediate greed
usurps anticipation. Otherwise
why would all commerce related
to Christmas continue creep up?
The other day my friend "M"
heard her first Christmas carol.
In my youth one used to wait
with anticipation to hear Bing
croon White Christmas. Now
we listen to holiday melodies
for months prior. What was
magical is now mundane.
At least Thanksgiving used to
be sacred. Then after 155 years,
Macy's announced it will open
at 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day.
By the time all parade balloons
are deflated, so will our dreams
of munching on left overs. Now
all must join the midnite mania!
The starting bell used to ring on the
day after Thanksgiving. Years later
it morphed into "Black Friday".
Sadly that event now unleashes a
tsunami of transactional trickery.
Somehow the joy of giving was
usurped by the thrill of buying.
Few love shopping more than I,
but why celebrate consumption?!
Are deals what we're thankful for?
Why anybody finds the concept of
being trampled to death worth the
savings on a flat screen TV is well
beyond me. Are we that stupid?
Retail is a science. Some how,
some way, they make a profit.
Yet the masses assume that 50%
off means a deal rather than simply
an inflated price tag. The only ones
winning are those who stay home.
I don't want to be Scrooge but
when is somebody going to say
"stop"?! Actually consumers are
doing just that. Holiday sales
are slipping later into December.
As Black Friday grows, all you
hear crickets not carols in most
stores for few weeks after.
Whether we realize it or not, most
of us are slowly rebelling. Many
families now escape to the tropics
rather than deal with the pressure.
Others are just giving up gift giving!
Office Christmas parties have been
creeping into January in order to
escape the frenzy. People seem
to be subtly sending a very strong
message - ENOUGH ALREADY!