December 18, 2007

I heard on the news this morning that the economists are concerned about the decline in consumer spending this holiday season. Some retail chains are taking drastic measures to entice shoppers. Select Macy’s stores in New York will be open 24/7 starting Friday and going through Christmas day. Others are offering even greater discounts on already discounted sale items. Blah, blah, blah - blah, blah.

Click here for the news video.

Mass media - in its inherent bias, will do its part to rally support for the retailers, insisting that we, as a collective nation, must spend our hard-earned dollars on shit we don’t need just for the sake of maintaining the free world’s economy. The free world where it’s Christmas all year long. The free world country where 8-year old (and up) girls flaunt status by carrying Dooney & Burke and Coach accessories.

Once again, I defer to memories. Back in the day, our gifts weren’t extravagant. But they were heartfelt.

Nibble on that for a while, why don’t you. Meanwhile, I’m going to go bake some cookies and build a gingerbread house and spend my valuable time doing things with my family.

Click here for a full listing of the 25 Days of Christmas Challenge.

If you enjoyed this story, please subscribe to the full RSS feed. You can also have it delivered straight to your mailbox. For something different, mosey over to eScapes and check out dKaye's take on life through photos.

|  Printable version | Posted in challenges, reflections, that which amuses me | Tags: challenges, christmas, holiday, reflections, waxing nostalgic.