Does it drive you up the proverbial wall when retailers fill their stores with Christmas stuff long before Christmas? Then you are much like my wife Angie. Stores need to get ahead on Christmas sales, especially with the current economic downturn, and when you consider that Christmas sales may be the biggest part of what they do all year, it's understandable the way they develop their sales pitch early. I respect their need to do that and it doesn't really bother me too much. But it drives my wife Angie crazy. She will grab early Christmas ads up and post them to the refrigerator door as a reminder not to buy a Christmas gift from that retailer. It sounds a little intolerant, I know. But here is what she said to me.
"Shopping seems to be the only thing we think about at Christmas these days. Shopping is necessary, and is a big part of Christmas, but it shouldn't be the main part. We should be thinking more about the giving than the shopping. Retailers should think some about that too. If they come out with all their Christmas stuff two months before Christmas, Santa stations with elves set up, long lines of children waiting to tell Santa all they want for Christmas, with all the bump and tug, it puts too much emphasis on buying and selling.
"Names are drawn and Christmas gifts are bought, not just for the kids, but for everyone, presents are wrapped, stockings are hung, all this hustle and bustle and commercialization of the season seem a far cry from the simple idea of being together as a family or with friends just to count our blessings. All this flim-flam about trees, and presents, and Santa Claus tends to obscure the marvelous truth about what each person has in his or her own heart and expresses as the gifts of spirit, sharing and warmth. Instead, it's nothing but beggars beg and spenders spend, drinkers drink and vendors vend, or something like that-however that ancient rhyme goes.
"Then as soon as the 26th rolls around the stores are open with slashed prices to attract more shopping they hope will last until the next season. Then those Christmas gifts are exchanged or returned, gift certificates are redeemed, yadda yadda yadda. The truth about Christmas would come out if you took away all the gifts," she says. "Stuff the stockings and that would be it. Then we could get a fresh start. Then we could add gifts as a way to show real feeling, or benevolence or as a symbol of God's gift." Then she concludes with the question, "Don't you agree with me, Walker?"
I didn't answer. I decided long ago not to argue with my wife Angie about anything she feels strongly, or anything else for that matter. I can see her point, but sometimes I let Christmas sneak up on me, and I don't mind a little reminder about the need to take care of Christmas gifts from time to time. I'm not really being sold anything, it's just a reminder. I do sometimes wish, though, that they would wait until Thanksgiving to remind me about Christmas. What I need before Thanksgiving is a reminder about Thanksgiving.
But ask yourself, where would we be if businesses who sell Christmas gifts had to wait until a specified time to begin to sell those gifts? They sell most of this stuff throughout the year, not just at Christmas time. People buy this stuff every day for one reason or another. What's wrong with a little reminder now and then? I see their point, and I don't mind it. My wife Angie though, she'll head for the refrigerator door like lightning when a Christmas ad, er reminder, comes in the mail. As for me I've been known to sneak over there from time to time to get a reminder about a Christmas gift I need to buy.
When I decided not to argue with my wife Angie's point of view, I also found it a good practice to apologize in advance if I don't agree with everything she says. And I know she is going to see this. So here I am, disagreeing and apologizing at the same time. My only hope is that I get forgiveness for one or the other, not to mention both.
"Shopping seems to be the only thing we think about at Christmas these days. Shopping is necessary, and is a big part of Christmas, but it shouldn't be the main part. We should be thinking more about the giving than the shopping. Retailers should think some about that too. If they come out with all their Christmas stuff two months before Christmas, Santa stations with elves set up, long lines of children waiting to tell Santa all they want for Christmas, with all the bump and tug, it puts too much emphasis on buying and selling.
"Names are drawn and Christmas gifts are bought, not just for the kids, but for everyone, presents are wrapped, stockings are hung, all this hustle and bustle and commercialization of the season seem a far cry from the simple idea of being together as a family or with friends just to count our blessings. All this flim-flam about trees, and presents, and Santa Claus tends to obscure the marvelous truth about what each person has in his or her own heart and expresses as the gifts of spirit, sharing and warmth. Instead, it's nothing but beggars beg and spenders spend, drinkers drink and vendors vend, or something like that-however that ancient rhyme goes.
"Then as soon as the 26th rolls around the stores are open with slashed prices to attract more shopping they hope will last until the next season. Then those Christmas gifts are exchanged or returned, gift certificates are redeemed, yadda yadda yadda. The truth about Christmas would come out if you took away all the gifts," she says. "Stuff the stockings and that would be it. Then we could get a fresh start. Then we could add gifts as a way to show real feeling, or benevolence or as a symbol of God's gift." Then she concludes with the question, "Don't you agree with me, Walker?"
I didn't answer. I decided long ago not to argue with my wife Angie about anything she feels strongly, or anything else for that matter. I can see her point, but sometimes I let Christmas sneak up on me, and I don't mind a little reminder about the need to take care of Christmas gifts from time to time. I'm not really being sold anything, it's just a reminder. I do sometimes wish, though, that they would wait until Thanksgiving to remind me about Christmas. What I need before Thanksgiving is a reminder about Thanksgiving.
But ask yourself, where would we be if businesses who sell Christmas gifts had to wait until a specified time to begin to sell those gifts? They sell most of this stuff throughout the year, not just at Christmas time. People buy this stuff every day for one reason or another. What's wrong with a little reminder now and then? I see their point, and I don't mind it. My wife Angie though, she'll head for the refrigerator door like lightning when a Christmas ad, er reminder, comes in the mail. As for me I've been known to sneak over there from time to time to get a reminder about a Christmas gift I need to buy.
When I decided not to argue with my wife Angie's point of view, I also found it a good practice to apologize in advance if I don't agree with everything she says. And I know she is going to see this. So here I am, disagreeing and apologizing at the same time. My only hope is that I get forgiveness for one or the other, not to mention both.
About the Author:
If you'd like to see more about Christmas banjos click here, or visit me at papasboxes.com to see some of those reminders I talked about.
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