What Holiday Spirit?
It is December. We are in that limbo between the holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas (or whatever winter festival your particular belief system recognizes) where people are expected to be cheerful and generous.
They are neither.
Traffic is awful and people have no patience when trying to navigate it. The rudeness is something to behold. A traffic cop could make a fortune in one afternoon.
In the stores the holiday music is mostly ignored and rather serves to irritate rather than inspire goodwill. Patrons are shoved, pushed out of the way at sale racks, salesclerks are subject to all sorts of verbal abuse - the list is endless. Even shoplifting increases this time of year, as do home break-ins, car break-ins and purse snatching. One assumes the folks engaging in these latter activities are doing so to provide a nice holiday for their own loved ones which warps the whole spirit of the season even more.
It becomes clear when you witness this behavior that the reason for the season has been lost on the consumer. It doesn't matter what religion you subscribe to this is supposed to be a season of reflection, of thanksgiving and true giving, of blessings honored and shared, of peace and joy. So put the credit card down, take a deep breathe, hug a loved one - or for the really brave a stranger - and try to remember why we celebrate at this time of year.
They are neither.
Traffic is awful and people have no patience when trying to navigate it. The rudeness is something to behold. A traffic cop could make a fortune in one afternoon.
In the stores the holiday music is mostly ignored and rather serves to irritate rather than inspire goodwill. Patrons are shoved, pushed out of the way at sale racks, salesclerks are subject to all sorts of verbal abuse - the list is endless. Even shoplifting increases this time of year, as do home break-ins, car break-ins and purse snatching. One assumes the folks engaging in these latter activities are doing so to provide a nice holiday for their own loved ones which warps the whole spirit of the season even more.
It becomes clear when you witness this behavior that the reason for the season has been lost on the consumer. It doesn't matter what religion you subscribe to this is supposed to be a season of reflection, of thanksgiving and true giving, of blessings honored and shared, of peace and joy. So put the credit card down, take a deep breathe, hug a loved one - or for the really brave a stranger - and try to remember why we celebrate at this time of year.
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