It’s been so hard this year to find any real holiday spirit.? The most I’ve had was the night we put up and decorated the tree; since then I’ve mostly just had the feeling of “please just let it be over and done with!”? A big aspect of my humbug is that the overblown crass commercialization of Christmas has finally begun to ruin the season for me.? Try as I might to escape, or at least ignore, it, I can’t — not when the stores start putting out Christmas-themed merchandise before Labor Day; not when decorations start going up before Halloween is past; not when Santa Claus makes his first mall appearance the first weekend of November; not when five out of every fifteen minutes on radio or television (not to mention half the newspaper) is filled with advertising encouraging listeners/viewers/readers to go into debt, if necessary, to fulfil that special someone’s dearest material wishes.
We were out for a couple of hours today, just to pick up some groceries and stuff, and there was an oppressive air all around.? People were thronging the stores madly trying to get those last few items while they could, putting out vibes of sheer desperation that they wouldn’t end up with the Perfect Christmas.? It wasn’t the holiday feeling I remember from the past, not at all.
DH pointed out something earlier tonight that I hadn’t realized.? What happened to “Peace on Earth, Good Will to All?”? He’s right; I’ve heard nothing about that wish this year.? If anyone cares about it anymore, they aren’t saying.? It’s all about the Almighty Profit Margin, it seems.
Whatever did happen to Christmas?