As this column goes to press, it is only 21 shopping days until Christmas, and I have one question. Is it just me and my vivid imagination but has anyone noticed that society forgot what Christmas is really about?
The public’s belief on the holiday season every year is buying the right gifts for their son, daughter, mom, dad, relatives, and even their pets. Most don’t do it in a holiday mood, however. Almost everyone I’ve seen at the malls beginning the day after Thanksgiving is having a bad hair day.
Perhaps there were too many cars in the parking lot because they had to walk a great many miles to to the store. Or was it that too many people were packed in the malls to move around freely. Pity the underpaid employees forced to have smiles and act courteously to such irate vultures only to have their required acts of kindness thrown back in their faces. A guy I know who has the unfortunate pleasure of working in retail said to me last year, “If these people would go to church, they wouldn’t be so mad all the time.”
“Christmas has become too commercial,” said a woman I know at work who planned on buying only gift certificates for people this year. “It’s all about money.”
Money isn’t the only issue. Has anyone ever had a perfect stranger wish them a “Merry Christmas” or “Happy New Year?” The last time I ever heard that was a decade ago. It was one of those rare December days in Chicago when the temperature was in the mid-60s and the sun was out. My mom, my sister and I were riding our bikes in the forest reserve trails; something Dallas doesn’t have. As we passed bicyclists by, everyone wished each other “Merry Christmas” whether they were on their bikes or taking a walk. Other than hearing it from coworkers, relatives, parents, and siblings, I have not heard such holiday greetings come out of anyone’s mouths since.
How do people act today during the holiday season? In last year’s Dec. 11 issue of The Suburban Tribune, a guy wrote a letter commenting how people greet each other in Balch Springs during the holiday season. “All I have heard is ‘Get out of my way’ or ‘Go to hell a--hole,’ he wrote. Today, everyone is ticked off about something and it doesn’t matter what time of year it is.
Our usual tradition was spending time at the grandparents’ house, eating dinner and exchanging gifts. We still do that to a degree today except we stay up until 1 or 2 a.m. Christmas Eve exchanging gifts. I still haven’t lost the Christmas spirit, and I even enjoy hearing Christmas music. Sometimes when troubleshooting computer equipment with franchise stores on the phone, I’ll be put on hold hearing the bell sounds of “We Three Kings” and “O Come All Ye Faithful” and this is in July.
The best thing about Christmas in Dallas is how people here go all out decorating their homes with lights. Chicago residents don’t do that with all the snow on the ground.
My main concern or focus today is not so much on gift giving. If I want anything, I go buy it myself. Now that we have established why I never have any money, I can say the best thing to get for people is gift certificates. But Christmas is more than that. It is spending that one time of the year with your relatives whom you never see except when you talk on the phone. It also means for those of us who go to church once or twice a year and those who go every week, celebrate the birth of Christ. It is about family and religion.
Not everyone today thinks that way. It is all about money. Then again, I think the spirit of Christmas died years ago when NBC bought the rights to show “It's a Wonderful Life” (1946) once a year. I miss those days in December where the black and white picture was shown every day up until New Year’s. I don’t know the exact reason why the classic film was made exclusive to NBC, but I am sure it had something to do with money.
©12/3/97
The public’s belief on the holiday season every year is buying the right gifts for their son, daughter, mom, dad, relatives, and even their pets. Most don’t do it in a holiday mood, however. Almost everyone I’ve seen at the malls beginning the day after Thanksgiving is having a bad hair day.
Perhaps there were too many cars in the parking lot because they had to walk a great many miles to to the store. Or was it that too many people were packed in the malls to move around freely. Pity the underpaid employees forced to have smiles and act courteously to such irate vultures only to have their required acts of kindness thrown back in their faces. A guy I know who has the unfortunate pleasure of working in retail said to me last year, “If these people would go to church, they wouldn’t be so mad all the time.”
“Christmas has become too commercial,” said a woman I know at work who planned on buying only gift certificates for people this year. “It’s all about money.”
Money isn’t the only issue. Has anyone ever had a perfect stranger wish them a “Merry Christmas” or “Happy New Year?” The last time I ever heard that was a decade ago. It was one of those rare December days in Chicago when the temperature was in the mid-60s and the sun was out. My mom, my sister and I were riding our bikes in the forest reserve trails; something Dallas doesn’t have. As we passed bicyclists by, everyone wished each other “Merry Christmas” whether they were on their bikes or taking a walk. Other than hearing it from coworkers, relatives, parents, and siblings, I have not heard such holiday greetings come out of anyone’s mouths since.
How do people act today during the holiday season? In last year’s Dec. 11 issue of The Suburban Tribune, a guy wrote a letter commenting how people greet each other in Balch Springs during the holiday season. “All I have heard is ‘Get out of my way’ or ‘Go to hell a--hole,’ he wrote. Today, everyone is ticked off about something and it doesn’t matter what time of year it is.
What does Christmas mean to me? When I was in grade school, Christmas was my favorite time of the year because there was snow on the ground and school was out for about two weeks. The usual ritual our family did was my parents would wake me and my sister up after midnight letting us know Santa just left. I would find, in my case, numerous Star Wars toys and space LEGO sets near the tree. Toys of which are now gone or were sold to hobby shops for cash. I thought I outgrew all that stuff and then here I am 20 years later, buying the same merchandise Kenner products made back when the Star Wars trilogy was going strong with sequels.Every now and then, I’ll look at the space LEGO sets at Target and Toys R’Us but then I see the $50 to $100 price tags and wake up. As for my sister, I don’t remember what she got but I’m sure it was dolls.
Our usual tradition was spending time at the grandparents’ house, eating dinner and exchanging gifts. We still do that to a degree today except we stay up until 1 or 2 a.m. Christmas Eve exchanging gifts. I still haven’t lost the Christmas spirit, and I even enjoy hearing Christmas music. Sometimes when troubleshooting computer equipment with franchise stores on the phone, I’ll be put on hold hearing the bell sounds of “We Three Kings” and “O Come All Ye Faithful” and this is in July.
The best thing about Christmas in Dallas is how people here go all out decorating their homes with lights. Chicago residents don’t do that with all the snow on the ground.
My main concern or focus today is not so much on gift giving. If I want anything, I go buy it myself. Now that we have established why I never have any money, I can say the best thing to get for people is gift certificates. But Christmas is more than that. It is spending that one time of the year with your relatives whom you never see except when you talk on the phone. It also means for those of us who go to church once or twice a year and those who go every week, celebrate the birth of Christ. It is about family and religion.
Not everyone today thinks that way. It is all about money. Then again, I think the spirit of Christmas died years ago when NBC bought the rights to show “It's a Wonderful Life” (1946) once a year. I miss those days in December where the black and white picture was shown every day up until New Year’s. I don’t know the exact reason why the classic film was made exclusive to NBC, but I am sure it had something to do with money.
©12/3/97
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