Welp, the holiday season is officially on. However, if truth be told, the season was upon us back in October before Halloween candy had been marked down. Shoot, before Halloween had even been tricked or treated Christmas decorations were being stocked on some retailers' shelves.
This year, stores opened to a bargain hunting frenzy on Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving, a day traditionally reserved for family, feasting & football is now just another sale day. May as well be Presidents' day or one of the other holidays that is only recognized by banks and congress.
Now, I am not a big traditionalist. I don't go in for all the feasting and fraternizing. I prefer to spend the day quietly with my husband or (before he was around) by myself. And I guess I can kind of understand the adrenaline rush of getting a really really good deal on something. We do like to conquer things and there are no more worlds to be discovered so.... maybe discovering that great deal on cookware ... is the same kind of thing. I don't know. Or maybe it's just the idea of being a part of something bigger than them that pulls people out in the middle of the night to spend money in a feverish way. Like I say, I don't know. I'm just trying to see the other side.
However, the most wonderful thing about Thanksgiving & Christmas is, or used to be, that there was very little that one could do on those days. There was no shopping outside of running to the 7-11 for forgotten cranberry sauce or milk. Fast food restaurants were closed. Thanksgiving was a day to be with family, like it or not. & when the family finally left, it was a time to rest. Be quiet. Be grateful for your comfy chair in which to nap.
I mean, who wants to shop after a big meal anyway? Maybe retailers were thinking that the tryptophan would slow everyone down, make them more docile. Umm... nope.
Look, the point is that we tend to move from event to event. We are constantly in motion. We are always looking back at past mistakes, hurts, & also accomplishments and good times. Then we look forward - planning, planning, planning. We very rarely give ourselves the opportunity to enjoy the present.
I don't know if retail is imitating life or vice versa. But I do know, I do believe that we need a consumer-less day. We need a day for reflection & gratitude. And we aren't wise enough to give that to ourselves very often. But it is oh so necessary.
Whether the time is spent with a house full of relatives or in solitude. Whether one feasts on turkey, tofurkey or peanut butter crackers. We need the time to simply breathe and be thankful.
Just my opinion.
This year, stores opened to a bargain hunting frenzy on Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving, a day traditionally reserved for family, feasting & football is now just another sale day. May as well be Presidents' day or one of the other holidays that is only recognized by banks and congress.
Now, I am not a big traditionalist. I don't go in for all the feasting and fraternizing. I prefer to spend the day quietly with my husband or (before he was around) by myself. And I guess I can kind of understand the adrenaline rush of getting a really really good deal on something. We do like to conquer things and there are no more worlds to be discovered so.... maybe discovering that great deal on cookware ... is the same kind of thing. I don't know. Or maybe it's just the idea of being a part of something bigger than them that pulls people out in the middle of the night to spend money in a feverish way. Like I say, I don't know. I'm just trying to see the other side.
However, the most wonderful thing about Thanksgiving & Christmas is, or used to be, that there was very little that one could do on those days. There was no shopping outside of running to the 7-11 for forgotten cranberry sauce or milk. Fast food restaurants were closed. Thanksgiving was a day to be with family, like it or not. & when the family finally left, it was a time to rest. Be quiet. Be grateful for your comfy chair in which to nap.
I mean, who wants to shop after a big meal anyway? Maybe retailers were thinking that the tryptophan would slow everyone down, make them more docile. Umm... nope.
Look, the point is that we tend to move from event to event. We are constantly in motion. We are always looking back at past mistakes, hurts, & also accomplishments and good times. Then we look forward - planning, planning, planning. We very rarely give ourselves the opportunity to enjoy the present.
I don't know if retail is imitating life or vice versa. But I do know, I do believe that we need a consumer-less day. We need a day for reflection & gratitude. And we aren't wise enough to give that to ourselves very often. But it is oh so necessary.
Whether the time is spent with a house full of relatives or in solitude. Whether one feasts on turkey, tofurkey or peanut butter crackers. We need the time to simply breathe and be thankful.
Just my opinion.
No comments:
Post a Comment